


Armageddon - Episode III: Pantheon

by inktopia



Series: Arc VI: Armageddon [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Destiny, F/M, Fate, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hope, Oaths & Vows, Promises
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-06-27 13:11:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inktopia/pseuds/inktopia
Summary: Episode 3 - Pantheon: Mike and Eleven must embrace their destiny to confront their greatest adversary. But they are not alone. Legends return to the world of Stranger Things to protect the sacred bond that will vanquish evil from the heart of men. Tonight, our brave heroes will assemble at the Byers' residence to celebrate Eleven's birthday. But will fate allow her a peaceful evening full of love and happiness? Can the Gods save them in time?Ep 3/Act VI Update: Hercules - And so it begins, the night that will change the fate of Mileven forever, but are they ready to finally accept their destiny?





	1. Act I: Elpis

**Author's Note:**

> The third Novella of the Epic named Armageddon - the continuation of Stranger Things 3.0. Please check out the series details for information about the Project.

****

 

**Act I: Elpis**

_'In ancient mythology, Elpis is the personification and spirit of Hope.'_

 

A man was sprinting through a concrete labyrinth as fast as his feet could carry him. Cold neon lights streaked over the man's head as he strived to outrun the wristwatch ticking away on his arm. The man was gasping for breath, and his legs felt like ten-ton hammers, but he couldn’t stop. He had to deliver an artifact at all cost before time ran out.

He turned around a corner and nearly crashed into a woman who was caressing a child in her lap. The man squeaked an apology while running and plunged into an elevator before the door closed. He stood up to take a breath, but his lungs sent a memo to him, ‘Dear Sir, you DO realize that you suffer from Asthma? It would be very kind if you could stop running.’ The man didn’t answer the memo. He started running as soon as the elevator doors opened and a moment later, crashed through a door like a hurricane, “I... have... the... j...”

 

A voice replied, “I don’t feel like drinking it anymore.” Ted Wheeler suddenly had the immense urge to mix some hemlock in the bottle he was carrying and drink it all at once. He noticed that his wife Karen was sitting on the bed with another woman and both were giggling at his distress. He sighed and started walking towards his wife, _‘Crazy mood swings.’_ But as soon as he reached the bed, the other woman snatched the bottle from his hand, unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to her lips. Ted was shocked for a second, but then he realized, _'She must be having the cravings as well.'_

His wife was pregnant and would often get the craziest cravings, the other woman was pregnant too. Ted was used to dealing with pregnant women and their cravings, he couldn’t blame the other woman just like he couldn’t blame his wife. He merely stared at his wife and raised his eyebrows, _‘Who is this?’_ Karen gave an apologetic smile, _‘A friend.’_ The woman finished the juice and handed the bottle to Ted. Then she grinned like a child, “Tastes like pineapple.”

 

The woman introduced herself to Ted and Karen. Her name was Teresa Ives, and she was from a small city near to Hawkins, about a few hours’ drive from the hospital. She was working in Hawkins National Laboratory, and she was five months pregnant at that moment. During her shift that day, she had suffered from some health issues, so the kind scientists at the lab brought her to the hospital for a check-up. Teresa seemed like a very affable and fun-loving person. She kept talking about all the neat things they made her do in the lab with loads of excitement. Karen started smiling, and soon she was giggling as Teresa began cracking a lot of funny one-liners. Ted joined in the fun too, and soon they were arguing about ancient Astronauts and Aliens.

 

They didn’t pay any attention to the clock which was ticking towards the infinity. Suddenly the door flung open, and a man walked in. He had a head full of white hair, and he was wearing an expensive tuxedo. He came towards the bed and stood in front of Teresa, “Why did you run away from the ward?”

Teresa looked away from the gaze as the smile faded from her face, “I... I am sorry. I was getting bored. There was no one to talk to.”

The man in the suit sighed, “It seems you won’t listen to instructions Teresa. If you are fit enough to leave the ward, then you are fit enough to return home by yourself. We are not providing the car today.”

Teresa suddenly glanced at the man, and her eyes reflected fear, “Please. I don’t have enough cash left to pay for the cab.”

“Take the bus.” The man slammed the door behind him.

 

Teresa grimaced and picked up her purse to count the cash she needed to take the ride home. She looked exhausted, and Ted noticed the lines beneath her eyes. She was apparently sick, and to make things worse, she was pregnant. She needed rest at the earliest and not a long journey on a bus. Ted glanced at Karen who was already staring at him with a question in her eyes, he smiled and nodded. Karen grinned and placed her arm on Teresa’s shoulder, “Why don’t you spend the night at our place? It’ll be great.”

Teresa jerked her head towards Karen as her eyes opened wide with disbelief, “Yo... Your place?”

Ted confirmed, “We’d be lucky to have you for dinner, Teresa. And I’ll drop you at your place tomorrow. I have some work in the city.” In response, Terry beamed as if a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Ted also smiled, he didn’t need to go to the city, _‘until that moment.’_

 

Thirty minutes later a car entered the path that led to the Wheeler Residence, situated at the end of the cul-de-sac. Ted stopped the vehicle at the gate as the ladies climbed out, then he drove the car to the garage and parked it. He came back to the main entrance where Karen and Teresa were waiting for him. He went to the door and knocked it two and a half times _. 'It was a code that only one other person in the world recognized.'_ The door slowly opened but no one was there, the babysitter had apparently moved away according to the instructions from the other person. Before Ted could move inside to catch the culprit, Teresa rushed in through the opening.

As soon as She cleared the door a ball of fluff jumped out of hiding, “Boo!” Teresa didn’t even flinch, she turned around in a smooth motion and picked the little girl in her arms. The girl laughed as the woman with the golden hair chuckled and kissed her. Karen and Ted kept watching in awe as their daughter Nancy, who was always afraid of strangers, kept playing with a random woman whom they had just met in the hospital.

 

A few hours later they were sitting in the main hall and talking about random things. Nancy was playing with her toys. She would often run to Teresa who would then stop talking and play with Nancy for a few minutes. Then Nancy would feel content and go back to her routine with the barbies and the castles. Both Karen and Ted were amazed at how proficient Teresa was in handling children even though she didn’t have a child of her own yet. _'She's amazing.'_

Just before lunch, the couple gave Teresa a tour of the house.

“What’s that?” Teresa was extremely curious.

“That? That’s my Lazy Boy. Wanna try it?” Ted loved his couch.

Teresa never said no to anything. She would become amazed at the simplest things many people would take for granted. Then finally the couple took her to a small room and opened the door. Teresa kept looking into the room but didn’t walk in. Her eyes were lost in the eternity, and she was standing at the door as if she was afraid of breaking the sanctity of the room.

“This room is for our baby boy, who would be born soon.” Karen already had the results.

Teresa suddenly looked at Karen with an intense stare, “Boy! A baby boy. Does he have a name yet?”

Ted sighed, “We’ve been fighting with the name for the last few days. We haven’t decided yet.” Karen rolled her eyes in frustration.

“Oh, okay.” Teresa closed the door, she seemed lost in thought. They came back downstairs and assembled for lunch.

 

Once lunch was over, Ted disappeared for a few hours to take a nap. Nancy was fast asleep with her head in Teresa’s lap while Karen was knitting a sweater for Nancy. Suddenly Teresa spoke, “Hey Karen. Is giving birth painful?”

“Huh? I mean yeah. But it’s worth it at the end. I mean look at Nancy.” Karen smiled at Teresa. _‘First-time mothers were always afraid of the pain.’_

Teresa nodded sideways, “It's not about me. It's about the child. My daughter. They say something is wrong with her. They are running tests but not finding anything. I am afraid of her health.”

Karen clutched Teresa’s arm tightly, “Have faith, Terry. Things always turn good at the end.”

 

Suddenly Ted ran into the room as if he was being chased by a Troll, “Eureka! Eureka!”

Teresa was staring at Ted’s hands, but they were empty, _‘What does he have? I don’t see anything.’_ Karen sighed, “Another name Ted?” 

“Dustin, we’re naming him Dustin.” Ted was satisfied.

Karen laughed, “The Hendersons’ got that name.” 

Ted looked aghast, “What? Is there a queue or something? First come first serve?”

They fought with the name for the next twenty minutes, but it was going nowhere. Hundreds of names were fired from each side, and none of them hit the mark. Teresa was busy playing with Nancy, she had woken up and immediately started racing around the room. Suddenly someone shouted, “Terry?”  

“Ah. Yes?” She abruptly returned to the present.  

“What do you think is the better name? Brandon or Zachary?” Ted was down to his two last options.

Karen vehemently objected, “Those two are not even in the list. How about Neil?"

Ted furiously flicked his diary, "Aha. I got the best option. Let's name him Finn."

 

Karen sat down on the sofa and sighed, “Enough. This is getting nowhere. I have an absurd idea.”

Ted and Karen stared at her as if she was the Genie from the magic lamp. Karen looked at Ted and spoke with resolve, “Why don’t Teresa name our boy, and we name her girl?” There was absolute silence in the room like the calm before the storm. Karen sighed and prepared for the verbal tornado about to come towards her. But a moment later she received an impossible answer, “Okay.”

_'It's magic.'_

Ted spoke up, “Let's lay down the rules. Both parties get five minutes. Each party gets to select only one name, and that’s final. No changing, okay?” He was too enthusiastic for some reason.

Both women nodded, and Ted moved to his wife and started whispering in her ear. Teresa picked Nancy up in her lap and began conspiring with her. Every few seconds later they would look at Karen and Ted and proceed to make funny faces, _‘We will have the better name.’_

 

After five minutes Ted left and returned with two identical flower vases. They had a peculiar design, and a sinuous black line encircled their bases. He handed one to Teresa and one to Karen. Then he gave each of them a marker pen, “Write down the name at the base. Then we exchange them at the same time and write the other name. This way we keep the surprise alive until the last moment and keep a copy as a memoir.”

The ladies finished writing the names. _Teresa named the boy who would be born in an unknown town called Hawkins, Indiana. Karen named the girl who would be born in a little-known city not far away from Hawkins, Indiana._ The ladies exchanged the vase and their eyes lit up with excitement, they loved the names. Teresa started jumping in excitement, “Ooh guys. This is so cool. Our children are named together even before they are born. Woohoo, I am sure they would grow up to be great people. Jane might become a Doctor and Mike might become an Astronaut. And one day they will meet, the Astronaut will meet the Doctor, and they'll fly to the moon.” Ted and Karen kept laughing at the excitement radiating from the unknown woman that they had met at the hospital. She had a way of convincing others into believing in her fantasies, and Karen and Ted got swept away by the flood of emotions.

 

Suddenly Teresa ceased laughing and glanced at the flower vase, “Hey Karen, Ted?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You two have done so much for me. No, so much for us.” She smiled sadly, “Can I ask you for one last favor?”

The couple noticed the sincerity in her voice and straightened up, “Anything.”

Teresa’s voice was quivering, “If a day comes when I am no longer here, will you take care of Jane? She has no one in this world except me,” her eyes were glistening. 

Karen came to Teresa and hugged her, “Jane and Teresa Ives will always have a home here. No matter what happens, Jane will never be alone in this universe. That’s a promise.”

 

Ted took out a flower vase from the drawer and slowly turned the base towards the light coming from the windows. A lifetime ago, two names were written at the bottom of the strange shape which was adorned with a sinuous black line around the edge. Ted looked perplexed, he had no clue why he had dreamt about that particular day last night. But then he saw the names and smiled absently, _‘Michael Wheeler and Jane Ives. They were named together even before they were born. They were supposed to be soulmates, in the purest form of the word. But somewhere in the vast expanse of the Cosmos, they lost their way and were never able to meet each other.’_

Ted and Karen couldn’t forget the woman who had named their boy. They tried to contact her a few months after Michael was born but the sky crashed on them when they heard the news from Becky Ives. Teresa had a miscarriage and lost the child to fate. ‘ _A child who was named by the Wheelers even before her birth.’_ It broke their heart, but they still attempted reaching out to Teresa. Then destiny put another nail on Teresa Ives’ coffin. She had apparently lost her mind and continued claiming that the child was stolen from her and was alive. She blamed the lab and dragged the lead scientist all the way to court but lost the case in the end.  A few months down the line, a newspaper article hammered the final nail on Teresa Ives’ coffin. She had started using drugs to overcome the loss of her child and finally, like all junkies, she overdosed one day and went into a coma. Karen came home weeping that day and threw the flower vase on the ground, smashing it into pieces. The name of Teresa Ives became a taboo in Wheeler Residence. The pain was too much, and the couple decided to bury their past.

 

Ted assessed the flower vase carefully under the light. He still couldn’t figure out why he had gathered the broken pieces and painstakingly joined them using gum. It took him the better part of a year, but he managed to restore the entire vase just like how the original one had looked. Karen said that Ted did it out of boredom, but he always thought that he did it because of a promise. ‘ _A promise made by Karen Wheeler on behalf of the entire Wheeler family to the most cheerful and lively person they had ever met, a commitment made to the woman who had named Mike even before he was born.’_

Ted slowly went out of the room and placed the flower vase on the center table. He would tell Karen to put some flowers in the vase tomorrow. Teresa loved sunflowers, maybe it was time to visit her one more time. Ted took off his glasses and started cleaning it with a flannel, _‘The child may be gone, but her soul is traveling at the speed of light through the eternal Cosmos. She’ll always have a shelter to rest when she needs it.’_

 

Suddenly Ted heard an unusual sound outside. A few seconds later his ears were able to identify the growl of a V8 engine. It was strange, only a few people they knew owned cars with an engine like that. Ted went to the door and opened it a fraction of a second after the doorbell rang. Then he promptly jumped back and fell inside the room as if he had seen a spirit.

 

_**The Episode continues after the break with 'Yama: The God of Death.'**_


	2. Act II: Yama

**Episode 3: Pantheon**

**Act II: Yama**

_In ancient lore, Yama is the God of death and the final judge on the destination of souls._

_No one can live without his approval, no one can die either._

 

Murray Bauman took a sip of water and dumped the bottle on the table in front of him. That bottle was the second that day and probably the third in the entire week. Drinking water wasn't a usual activity for him because he survived purely on Russian Vodka. But tonight, he needed to keep his head clear to supervise the two fools who were about to commit the gravest mistake of their lives.  
A short distance away, Nancy and Jonathan were staring at a strange looking board illuminated by a bright halogen lamp. Murray designated it as the _'Cipher Board.'_ When he was working on a case, he would pin all incoming information on that board. Then, throughout the investigation, he would identify links between various elements and connect them using red strings. Initially, the board would look like a jumbled mess of red lines, but after some time, magic ensued. The lines would start overlapping one another, and new connections would be established. It was like a spider web, the center of which would reveal the perpetrator.

_'You work, and you work, and slowly an image starts to appear. But it won't reveal the truth until you lock that final piece in.'_

Murray was still far away from finding and fitting that final piece into the puzzle. There were gaps all over the mystery that lay on the Cipher Board at that moment. None of the occupants of the room could solve the meaning of the words that were pinned around a picture on the board. The photo belonged to a man with white hair, a man who wore expensive tuxedos and spoke in riddles.

 

Jonathan slowly pronounced the words that were making no sense at all, "Ascension Mechanism, Control Matrix, Inhibition Override." He did know a few words, but they were out of context and didn't cooperate much, "Sword, Forge, Hammer, Teresa Ives, Jane Ives." A little piece of text caught his attention, "Subject Eleven?" A shiver went down his spine as he recalled Nancy's retelling of the night when a demon unleashed itself in this world to defend her little brother from death. Neither Nancy nor Jonathan were present to witness the act, but they heard the gruesome details from Hopper. In reality, Jonathan wasn't afraid of the monster called Subject Eleven, he was terrified of losing his brother's savior to her fate.  
A short distance away, Nancy was telling the story of Eleven to Murray. When she visited him for the first time, she omitted the part about the relationship between Mike and Eleven from the story. But this time, she was confident that Murray was on their side and needed to know the truth. Half an hour later, Murray connected two points on the board with red string. A red line joined Eleven with Mike Wheeler and formed a curious chain.

_'Martin Brenner - Ascension Mechanism - Subject Eleven - Mike Wheeler.'_

Then once Murray learned about the tragedy that had taken place on the night of the Snowball, he connected another string to the board. Mike Wheeler was tied to Martin Brenner and completed a terrible circle of fate. Subject Eleven was at the center of it. Nancy was having a hard time figuring out the connections. Martin was probably trying to retrieve Eleven, but it still didn't make any sense why the man was trying to murder Mike instead of simply capturing his asset.

 

Murray sighed, "Start with this."

He handed Nancy a file. It had gone yellow with age, and the corners of the flap were no longer aligned to the edges. She picked the file up and noticed the name, _'Teresa Ives.'_ She opened the file and immediately pulled it closer to take a better look. On the top of the stack, there was a picture of a woman with dark golden hair and a mysterious pair of eyes.

"Interesting, isn't she? That woman kicked Martin so far in the teeth that he had to borrow fangs. Whatever she did back then tripped a set of dominoes that nearly ended project MkUltra. Teresa Ives is the most courageous woman I have ever met in my life." Murray raised a toast.

Nancy muttered to herself, "No. It's not that. She seems familiar for some reason. Jonathan?"

Jonathan was taking photographs of the Cipher Board, he replied without looking, "Haven't seen her. Must be your imagination."

"NO. I don't forget a face that easy. Something about her, a long time ago." Nancy sighed and closed her eyes. She could visualize Terry Ives smiling at her from some unknown edge of her consciousness. She had never seen that woman in her entire lifetime, so she was perplexed by the strange signal coming from her subconscious.

Murray spoke calmly, "Martin did a number on her. She's still alive, but it would be better if she were dead. Martin abducted her infant daughter, ran experiments on the girl and probably killed her. When Teresa went after him to find her daughter, that animal put her in a coma."

Nancy gritted her teeth in frustration. Initially, she had planned to expose that criminal and hand him over to the police. But now, she wanted to pull the trigger the moment she saw Martin Brenner. She wasn't a murderer, but something inside her kept reminding her that in all probabilities, she would not get a second chance.

Murray pointed to the folder, "That's the cue for you to leave. Find Becky Ives. I always had a hunch that she knows more than she realizes. Talk to her and find me a trail."

Nancy and Jonathan stood up to leave, Murray walked them to the door and slammed it as soon as they cleared the doorframe. Jonathan sighed as he remembered that some things never changed. Suddenly the door opened a fraction, a hand tossed something at them, and then the door closed again. Jonathan instinctively snatched a keyring from the air. A raspy voice grumbled behind the closed door, "Leave your piece of junk and take my car. A good journalist must beat the speed of rumor to become great."

 

A few hours later, a black Chevrolet Chevelle cruised into a sleepy lane somewhere not far from the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Jonathan stopped the car beside the sidewalk. They climbed out and made their way to a small house and pressed the bell. A minute later the door opened a fraction, "We don't need insurance."

"Wait, please. We are not here to sell insurance." Nancy spoke sincerely.

"Then what the hell are you here for?"

"We're here to speak to Teresa Ives."

The door closed and two moments later it opened, and a slender woman walked out, "Like I keep telling everybody, you are five years too late."

Nancy wasn't going to surrender that easy, "We know, but it's about something else. We need to find a man."

"What man?"

"Martin Brenner."

The woman recoiled as if Nancy had spat on her face and then she went back inside and slammed the door on their face.

"Get the fuck out, or I'll call the police," the finality was evident in her voice.

Nancy raised her voice, "Please. That monster is trying to kill my little brother. He won't stop unless we stop him. PLEASE HELP US FIND HIM."

There were no responses from the inside. The woman was probably dialing the police. Nancy was about to bang the door when she heard the latch slipping from its location. Then the door slowly opened by itself to reveal an empty corridor. Nancy was still trying to find the woman when she ran out of a room and immediately stopped dead in her tracks.

"YOU TOO?" Her eyes were about to fall out of their sockets.

"Me too what?"

"You... didn't open the latch?"

 

Ten minutes later Nancy and Jonathan were sitting in a room with Teresa and Becky Ives. Jonathan was observing the room while Nancy was staring at Teresa's face with intense concentration.

Becky spoke, "You can clearly see that she's gonna be of no help."

Teresa kept staring at the void in front of her while mumbling something incoherent. A lifetime ago a man named Martin Brenner had abducted her newborn and then electrocuted her brain when she went after the man to find her daughter. Since then she had led a life of absolute agony and suffering. She was stuck in a never-ending loop where her mind would keep playing a recording of her final attempt to find her daughter, over and over again. She was completely paralyzed and couldn't respond to external stimuli.

Nancy responded, "I have seen her before. I'm sure of it. I don't know where, but I remember the deep black eyes and a beautiful smile."

Becky just shrugged and picked up the photo that Jonathan had given her earlier. She steeled her jaw and handed the picture back to Jonathan, "That monster took everything from my sister. He stole her child, fried her brain and turned her into a fucking vegetable. I have no clue how you remember her smile. She stopped smiling decades ago."

"We're sorry. We know what that monster did. We just want to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

Becky grimaced, "I don't have any more information. Why don't you come back tomorrow? I am going to clean some rooms today. I'll see if I find anything."

Nancy wrote their names on a piece of paper, added the phone number of the hotel they were staying in and held it in her palms. Becky picked up the paper and then promptly furrowed her eyebrows, "Wheeler?"

"Yes, that's my name. Nancy Wheeler."

"What's your brother's name?"

"What?"

"The boy who Martin is after, what's his name?"

"Mike. Michael Wheeler."

Becky's eyes suddenly alighted with hope, "I'll be damned. Miracles do happen."

Nancy was still confused. Becky just nodded her head and smiled, "I have no time today. It's a long story. Why don't you come back first thing in the morning tomorrow? I promise I'll tell you the entire story."

"But..."

"Today is an extraordinary day for my sister and me. I have to leave now to get a few things. Come back tomorrow Nancy."

Becky smiled absently, thinking, _'Teresa's prophecy is coming true at last.'_

 

Nancy and Jonathan left the house and walked towards the car as the door slowly closed behind them. They were feeling disheartened, but they still had a chance tomorrow. They drove to the library and spent the entire afternoon looking for evidence. They located some articles but nothing that revealed any significant clue. After a few hours, they went out to grab some lunch. They were waiting at the sidewalk for the signal to turn green. Nancy was looking at the oncoming traffic when she noticed a sleek looking black sedan that stopped near them as the signal turned red. Jonathan glanced and Nancy and laughed, "Our car is way faster. I don't know how Murray got hold of a beast like that, but I bet I can outrun that car in ten seconds flat."

Nancy just smiled at Jonathan as they crossed the road, _'He can do it,'_ she thought, _'He's an awesome driver.'_

After lunch, they decided to return to the hotel. Sometime later, Jonathan drove the car to the portico and then handed the keys to the valet. It was already late, and a sliver of a moon shone in the sky. They were about to enter the hotel when a small boy suddenly jumped from behind a pillar, pointed a toy gun at them and shouted, "HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE 'EM."

The boy stabbed the air in front of him with the gun a few times as if he was shooting at some dreaded criminals. Jonathan feigned a fake scare, leaped back a few feet and made a painful face as the boy proceeded to make sounds that resembled gunshots. A few seconds later the boy's mother appeared and dragged him away while smiling apologetically to them. Jonathan grinned at the boy and then he looked back at Nancy and quickly ran to her. She was standing a few feet behind and was apparently frozen to the spot. Her eyes were unfocused, and her mouth sagged as if she had just beheld something remarkable. Jonathan reached her and clutched her arm tightly, "Nancy, Nance... NANCE!"

She came out of the trance and started sprinting towards the hotel reception. Jonathan ran after her and requested her to stop, but Nancy dashed through the gate before the security could stop her, "She... was... at... our... house," Nancy was panting as she shouted the words.

She reached the reception and stopped, "I don't know how I know, but she was at our house when I was a kid. I remember scaring her like that boy, I remember her eyes and her smile. TERESA IVES was at our house, Jonathan. And I want to know why."

Nancy went to the receptionist to call her parents, she needed to know the truth. The receptionist was busy with a telephone receiver, he was pressing the cradle quickly to get a signal, "Hello, hello. This is..."

He looked at Nancy and sighed in the mouthpiece, "Sir, my name is not Becky. If you mean Rebecca, she is out of off..."

Nancy snatched the phone from the receptionist and pressed it against her ears as hard as she could, there was silence, but then she heard something. She detected raspy breathing and then a few moments later heard someone moaning in pain, then the receiver fell from her hand as she listened to a calm and soothing voice, "Find Eleven's Control Matrix."

Nancy connected the dots immediately, _'Control Matrix, Eleven, Painful moaning,'_ and a voice that summoned _'Becky.'_

_'Martin Brenner has returned to his past to eliminate loose ends!'_

Nancy seized Jonathan's arm and started running towards the doorway. Like everyone in the hotel, Jonathan was also bewildered, "Nancy! Whoa."

"DRIVE!" Nancy shouted as she ran towards the car with Jonathan.

"Where are we going?"

"To save Eleven's family."

 

A few minutes later, a Chevy Chevelle shot through the main gate of the hotel and drove into the night. Jonathan had never driven so fast as he was driving that night. He remembered Hopper once telling him that he could drive without touching the brake, and thought _'Crazy bastard,'_ to himself.

Nancy was studying a map with a flashlight and giving him instructions. Jonathan was following them as best as he could, but basically, he was driving purely on instinct. The Chevy Chevelle was a fast car, but Murray had done something to the V8, and now it growled like a hound that had halfway returned to the wild. They kept running red lights, but not a single police car came after them.

 _'Damn,'_ Jonathan thought, and shouted at Nancy over the noise, "I think we should call the Police."

Nancy responded without raising her head, "There's no time. He's already inside the house."

Jonathan was about to take a corner when the rear tires slipped, and the car drifted onto the sidewalk. He watched in rapt horror as the car rammed a set of garbage bins and slid towards a woman who was walking her dog. The woman disappeared from the field of view as Jonathan released the brake, swerved the wheel and pressed the gas as hard as he could. The car somehow straightened out and they were back on the road a moment later. Jonathan glanced at the rear-view mirror and spotted the woman as she was getting up, apparently unharmed. He was sweating after some time. It was not only from the strain of driving a monster car like a maniac at night, but the fuel gauge was slowly moving towards the red line. They had planned to refuel the next morning before visiting Teresa.

"Here, TURN RIGHT."

"HOLD ON," Jonathan yelled as he yanked the wheel to the right, and the car fishtailed into a narrow lane, barely missing a black sedan coming off the road. It was the same car that had waited at the signal when they were crossing the street. Nancy glanced and caught a glimpse of the passengers sitting in the vehicle. One was an indistinctive figure with a head full of white hair, and he was wearing a tuxedo. Nancy had a gun with her but gritted her teeth in frustration as she made her choice. Teresa and Becky came first.

"We're running out of time, DRIVE FASTER."

Whatever Martin came to find had already been retrieved. Nancy felt a sinking feeling inside her stomach. A few minutes later, Jonathan slammed the brake and crashed the car into a post box at the edge of the sidewalk. They left the car and started running towards the door to the Ives' Residence. In a few seconds, they reached the door and Jonathan crashed into it and immediately fell indoors as it gave away. The latch was shot off, and the door was being held in place by nothing but splinters. Nancy rushed in behind Jonathan and screamed as soon as she reached the room where they had met Teresa that morning.

Becky was lying in a pool of blood, and the telephone receiver was resting beside her head. Beside her motionless body, Teresa sat on her chair, but her head sagged unnaturally to one side. There was a violet colored wound on her forehead from which blood kept trickling into a pool on the ground. Broken pieces of a pitcher were scattered all over the floor. Apparently, Martin had severely wounded Teresa with a flower vase and shot Becky as she was trying to call Nancy. Nancy roared, "Attacking defenseless women, that bastard!"

There was a table in front of Teresa. Nancy looked at the table and nearly lost her balance. A small birthday cake lied on the surface, and a slice was missing from one side. The slice left out some letters, and they indicated a horrible tragedy. The text read _'Jane Eleven Iv...'_

 

The cipher board came alive in front of Nancy's eyes. Teresa didn't miscarry as the world had believed, she named her daughter Jane even before she was born and brought her into this world. Martin kidnapped the newborn at the time of delivery, rechristened the child _'Subject Eleven,'_ and trained her to become his _'Sword.'_ But in contrary to what Murray had thought, the child didn't die from the experiment named _'Ascension Mechanism.'_ Jane Eleven Ives survived, and thirteen years later, she managed to run away from the monster and into the arms of Nancy's little brother Mike Wheeler who sheltered her from her past. Her brother had snatched away the most powerful weapon Martin had ever forged, and that's why the monster was after his life. Martin Brenner wanted retribution from Mike Wheeler like a child who had lost his toy.

The spider web was completed now, but Nancy wished it wasn't. Apparently, Becky had somehow managed to find out about Eleven and planned to throw her sister a party to celebrate her daughter's birthday. She had chosen the perfect gift for Teresa for this extraordinary day, but fate decided to outshine her. Fate was determined to take Jane Ives away from Teresa Ives by annihilating her.

 

Nancy gritted her teeth, "Barb… NO MORE."

She ran to Teresa as Jonathan ran to Becky. She held her finger below Teresa's nose and exclaimed a sigh of relief, "She's alive Jonathan. Becky?"

Jonathan was grimacing beside the motionless body lying on the ground, "No pulse Nance. She's not breathing,"

He looked like as if he would throw up any moment. Abruptly he looked at the ground as if he had seen a Demogorgon, his jaw slacked, and he immediately snatched something from the floor and put in his pocket. It looked like a circular fragment of the broken flower vase. Before Nancy could ask Jonathan about what he had found, she smelled something familiar, "What the...? GAS?!"

Jonathan leaped up even before Nancy could move and rushed towards the kitchen. A few seconds later a banging noise came from that direction followed by him running into the room, "It's coming from the kitchen. The door is locked, and I can't break it. We can't shoot it either, sparks could set it off."

"Let's get her out of the house. We'll come back for Becky. Here, help me get her up."

Jonathan and Nancy struggled to get Teresa out of the chair. She was an old woman, and she didn't weigh that much, but at the moment she was unconscious, and her body had become stiff due to long-term paralysis. They carried her out to the lawn and gently placed her on the grass. Then they turned around and ran to the house to get Becky. Jonathan ran in front, and as soon he reached the door the heavens roared, and a shockwave hit them like a hundred-ton ship coming through the fog. Nancy watched in amazement as Jonathan flew in a straight line and smashed into her. She loved adventure, but she wasn't planning on going skydiving anytime soon. She found herself hovering in the air for a moment, and then a terrifying heatwave surrounded her as she crashed into the ground. She remembered smelling burnt hair before losing consciousness.

Nancy forced her eyes open a lifetime later. Her head throbbed like hell, and her face was apparently set on fire. She focussed her eyes and recognized Jonathan groaning as he struggled to stand up. In front of her eyes, the sky was set on fire, and a rotating column of smoke carried sparks flying high into the heavens. A few minutes later Jonathan stood up, came close to Nancy and helped her to stand up too. Then they painstakingly made their way to the location where they had settled Teresa down. Both of them exhaled once they found her unhurt from the blast. They lifted her up and gently carried her towards the car instead of waiting for emergency service. It was not safe to stay there anymore. Eventually, Martin would discover that Teresa Ives's charred remains had not been found in the wreckage and would come after her again. They turned back one last time to witness the burning pyre of Becky Ives, a woman who had believed in justice. Then their chariot rode into the night in search of salvation.

 

Jonathan placed a note on the counter and picked up the first aid kit without saying a single word. He was looking like a scarecrow that had somehow been scorched by fire, but the old shopkeeper didn't provoke further. Jonathan's watch stopped working since the explosion, so he asked for the time.

"Stupid clock is stuck at 10.59 from god knows when. Got it serviced twice, keeps on breaking down. I do reckon it tells the correct time twice a day." The shopkeeper swallowed as Jonathan glared at him and walked towards the door.

Just before leaving the store, he noticed a man who was trying to fix a statue in the corner of the store. Jonathan knew about the figure, he had read about it in history class. _'Lady Justice – The personification of the moral force in the Judicial System.'_ He smirked sardonically at the man who was trying to balance the weigh scale attached to the left arm of the statue.

"Justice? Bullshit!" Jonathan slammed the door behind him. He didn't notice the weighing scales coming to balance a moment after he left the store.

 

Nancy finished refueling the vehicle as Jonathan returned with the supplies. They drove a distance away, stopped the car and then used the first aid to stop the bleeding that was ruining Teresa Ives' features. They did a commendable job under the circumstances, but there was probably a crack in her skull, and blood kept slowly leaking out through the dressing. Nancy had already made her choice, "Let's take her to Hawkins. It's a few hours away, but we have almost stopped the bleeding. We'll get someone to help her, and Martin won't show his face. Not with both Hopper and Murray around."

Jonathan nodded absently as he turned the ignition key, "Nance. You need to see something."

"On the way, there's no time."

"No," Jonathan took out a disc from his pocket and handed it over to Nancy. The disc had four words written on it.

'Michael Wheeler.'

'Jane Ives.'

Nancy closed her eyes as she found the proof that shattered all her doubts once and for all. She wasn't dreaming, Teresa Ives had somehow been involved with her family for over a decade. Nancy always had an eye for details and she could easily identify the owner of the hand that had written the second name on the broken flower vase.

_Karen Wheeler had written the name of Jane Ives on that vase. And the second handwriting probably belonged to Teresa._

Nancy needed to find the truth. She made a promise to the unconscious woman, "We're sorry we couldn't save your sister Teresa. But we'll save you. We'll return you to your daughter." 

 _'And to my parents, whatever that means,'_ Nancy thought absently as she gently secured Teresa in the seat and held her tightly to brace against the bumps on the road.

"Let's take her home before she bleeds to death."

Jonathan smoothly shifted car to first gear and pressed the gas. For the first time in life, he decided to drive the car without touching the brakes, just like how Hopper had taught him a few years back.

 

_**The Episode continues after the break with 'Asclepius – The God of healing.'** _


	3. Act III: Asclepius

**Episode III: Pantheon**

**Act III: Asclepius**

_According to the legends, Asclepius was the deity who could heal wounds that were even beyond the reach of other Gods._

_His legacy, the staff of Asclepius remains a symbol of heroes who fight death to this day._

 

Scott Clarke entered the classroom precisely as the minute's hand touched twelve. He had never been late to his class, and that discipline was something he desperately wanted to teach his students. Quickly, he ran his eyes around the classroom and noticed the absence of a few students. Earlier that day, Jim Hopper had requested him to keep an eye on his niece who was new in town and had no friends. Scott felt worried and decided to go search for Jane but stopped himself as he reached the door. Just a few hours ago he had seen her hanging around with Mike and his gang in the cafeteria. He smiled to himself as he realized that Jane had already made new friends in such a short time. Mike and his band were the best students in Scott's class, and he was sure that they would take good care of Jane.

He would have a talk with the boys regarding punctuality later, but for now, he decided to start teaching. Something still felt odd about the girl, but he couldn't put his finger on it. So, he did the next best thing he could do under the circumstances. He placed his finger on a small patch of color on a large globe, "Class, today we're going to learn about the legacy of the Swedish scientist, Alfred Bernhard Nobel..."

Scott had never visited Sweden, but someone very close to him had loved that country. Maybe someday he would get the chance to meet Mike's cousin Eleanor again and learn why that girl disliked her motherland so much.

 

Max fished inside her bag and took out a small paper clip, straightened it out and inserted the tip into the latch. The others were staring at her with complete attention, they wanted to glimpse the magic. Eleven could've easily opened the lock by turning the latch from inside the room with her powers, but she decided to give Max a chance. Hopper had asked her to believe in other's abilities and provide them with an opportunity to shine, it was something that friends were supposed to do. The lock opened a few seconds later, and the gang piled into the room. Lucas locked it from inside and placed a chair under the latch to prevent anyone from opening it with or without a key. Then they switched the lights on and sat on the floor.

Scientists have been researching human emotions for a very long time. Sometime during the 20th century, they classified emotions into six fundamental elements; happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. The experts concluded that humans learned these emotions during early childhood and carried the learning throughout their lives. But it wasn't applicable to a girl named Eleven. Jane  _'Eleven'_ Ives was kidnapped by a psychopath immediately after birth and then imprisoned in a lab where she was only allowed to learn one emotion; anger. She was being forged into a weapon, and she didn't need to learn any other sentiment. Thirteen years later she somehow managed to escape the lab and run into the embrace of a boy named Mike Wheeler who became her greatest teacher.

Within the following few days, she experienced new emotions. She learned happiness when the boy gave her a new name to help her escape from her past. She became surprised when the boy came back to rescue her after locking her in a wardrobe to hide her from his mother. She learned sadness when the boy yelled at her for letting his friend get killed at the quarry. She felt disgusted when the boy pressed his lips against hers in the gym.

But right then she felt another strange emotion, something scientists could never define. It made her head spin and heart beat faster as it let loose a bunch of butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know what it meant, but she grinned like a fool because she liked the strange and disgusting thing that the boy did. A lifetime later, she learned what that emotion was when the boy hugged her and begged her to never leave him again. Mike Wheeler had shown Eleven how to Love, and it was the most powerful emotion in existence. But it wasn't the first emotion that evolved in animals.

Just before touching his lips to hers, Mike had asked Eleven to go to the Snowball with him. She realized that it was a question in the form of a statement, but it took her a lifetime to decipher the real meaning. Once she grasped the truth, she was ready to confront the most powerful monsters to answer the question that Mike had asked her,  _'Do you want to spend your life with me, Eleven?'_

She did, and she wanted to blow him away by going to the Snowball with him.

But just a month before the Snowball, destiny decided that Eleven's lessons were completed and decided to return her to the void. On that fateful night, Eleven was forced to use the final fragments of her power to close the interdimensional portal which she had opened earlier and nearly died as a consequence. Subsequently, she learned the true nature of the most fundamental of all emotions, ' _Fear_.' She was afraid that if she died before answering the question, then Mike would lose his sanity trying to find the answer in the darkness. She was nearly dead when Hopper brought her cold and lifeless body to Mike. Her mind was gone at that point, but her soul still endured to honor her last wish. Eleven's subconscious borrowed her psionic powers to draw Mike's soul in itself and proceeded to show him her memories. They appeared as bright fireflies encircling his enigma in a vast sea of darkness. Mike touched the fireflies one by one and lived through Eleven's memories that she gained with him. Then he found his answer,  _'See Mike? You have taught me so much, and I am happy to be with you for as long as I did. I'd love to go to the Snowball with you. This year, the next and a lifetime after that. But I have to go away to save you. Please forgive me.'_

 

Then she decided to embrace eternity. But Eleven underestimated the true nature of love. It was an emotion that could overcome even the most ancient of all feelings. Fear never had a chance. Mike stood his ground at the gates of hell and challenged death to a rematch. He needed more information to figure out a way to save Eleven, so he pulled every firefly to his soul and witnessed every moment of Eleven's life. He was with Eleven through every nanosecond of time since the day she was born till the moment she was going to die. Then he found a way to bring her back from the darkness. Mike was thrilled to have Eleven back in his life because he could finally give her the life she deserved. Then one night he woke up sweating and screaming as he witnessed a vision where a man tested Eleven's pain tolerance using various techniques.

Mike never let anyone know what he was going through since that terrible night. When he lived all thirteen years of Eleven's life in one instant, his mind was unable to process such a massive amount of information and locked them away into the deepest depths of his heart. The memories would often get triggered and bestow upon Mike a replay of Eleven's past. The visions pushed him into a constant state of anxiety and depression. After all, who would want to see the love of his life getting electrocuted by a taser, or being locked in isolation for days, or being strapped to a chair and then exposed to horrors that were impossible to imagine, over and over again?

The worst part was that Mike was not just witnessing them, he was genuinely living Eleven's memories and dying in her suffering because he couldn't do anything to help her. The phenomenon was termed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it was slowly driving him to insanity even though the trauma belonged to someone else. Eleven had no idea what was happening to Mike, but she felt his inner turmoil and confronted him in the auditorium. And now they were sitting face to face in a room, and Mike was about to confess the night of the fireflies. He was scared shitless because he couldn't imagine what the truth might do to the girl who had fought death to save him.

 

Mike and Eleven were sitting in the radio room surrounded by the party. They needed their friends to make through the confession, and these four were the best the world had to offer.

Mike whispered, "Eleven. I'll tell you everything. But first, you have to make a promise."

Eleven frowned but nodded, "Yes."

"Promise me that you'll let me handle it."

"Mike…."

"No. This is my burden to bear, and I did it to save you. I'll do it a thousand times over if I have to."

The resolve in his voice shocked everyone.

"Okay. I promise."

Mike took a deep breath and spoke, "Do you remember the night you closed the gate?"

Eleven looked away from Mike's eyes, "I remember closing the gate. I remember the pain and the darkness."

Mike held Eleven's chin and turned her face towards him, "Then?"

"Then I heard you calling to me. I saw you. Somewhere in the dark. You were scared, and you were crying. You wanted to save me."

Mike nodded, "I saved you. Do you know how?"

"I remember you showing me the reason to live. I lived so that you could keep your promise to take me to the Snowball."

"Is that the Promise I made to you?" Mike sighed.

_'El, you should already know what that promise means to both of us.'_

Eleven smiled brightly, "No. You promised that you'll make my dreams come true. And I said that we'll do it together."

_'I know, Mike.'_

The occupants in the room clapped their hands and cheered for them. It was marvelous to comprehend how much Mike really cared for Eleven. But did he care a little too much? What happened to him while he was absorbed in Eleven's memories?

Mike spoke quietly, "Eleven. In that darkness, I was surrounded by millions of bright fireflies that you somehow created using your powers. and when I touched them, I lived your life."

There was pin-drop silence in the room, and then a cacophony of voices rang the air, "What the hell?"

"You son of a bitch. What have you done with Mike?"

"You did what? Are you on drugs?"

"What did you see Mike?" Will was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation. He had been in that lab and was well aware of the horrors that were contained within its pristine walls.

"She showed me her memories since the day we found her till the moment she closed the gate."

Dustin was curious about this new power, "Why did she do that?"

Mike swallowed bile as he fought hard to utter the next words, "She wanted to show me what I meant to her before she died. But I managed to view a few memories that I was not supposed to see."

Eleven's eyes went wide with shock, "The coke can! That's how you know. I'm so sorry Mike."

Max was curious, "Coke can? What about the coke can?"

Mike closed his eyes, "Back in the lab, she was being trained to use her powers. They ordered her to crush a can of coke with her mind, and they'd torture her till she could do it. They'd hit her right below the ribcage. It was horrible, the pain was unbearable, and she'd often throw up. But the men wouldn't stop till she did it. I saw it first-hand."

The others in the room wanted to cover their ears as if Mike was scratching a blackboard with his nails. Eleven kept sobbing silently not because of her pain, but because she realized what Mike was going through. It must have put him through immense pain to witness that memory.

"El, look at me," the boy who sheltered her in her greatest hour of need spoke calmly, "It's not those memories that scare me. It's the ones that I haven't seen yet. I reached out to every firefly in the void to find the answer. And that's how I saved you. I have lived your entire life, Eleven."

Mike paused a moment for the realization to kick into others' faces and then dropped the hammer, "I don't remember them all right now. But sometimes I see these visions of her past. Today at the gym when I passed out, I was inside one. I've been having these visions quite often. And even if it takes a lifetime, I have to see all of them to save her."

Only one person in the group noticed the oddity of the last sentence. What did Mike mean,  _'To save her?'_  What was he searching for?

"13 Years equals 156 Months, which in turn equals 678 Weeks. Multiply that with seven, and we get 4,745 Days. Now if we again multiply by twenty-four, we get 113,880 Hours. If you see a vision of say one hour per day, then you'd need... FUCK DUDE!" Dustin cursed as he quickly did the math in his mind.

Eleven covered her mouth with her palms, "Oh Mike! I wish we never met. If you didn't find me, then all of this would never happen."

Mike wanted to bump his fist on Eleven's head,  _'Never met you? Are you crazy?'_ He needed to tell Eleven that it wasn't her fault. Whatever Mike was going through was by his choice, and he couldn't let Eleven blame herself.  _'How to convince her?'_

"Wait. If you have seen all of her memories, then did you see her when she was nak…"

"SHUT UP, DUSTIN!" Max moved towards Eleven and hugged her as she kept crying.

 

A figure stood up from the group, went to Eleven and squatted down in front of her, "Hey, El."

Eleven looked at the figure with confusion, wondering  _'Why is he smiling?'_

A group of scientists did some exciting research on the psychological conditioning of individuals who had suffered from abuse during their childhood. No one knew whether they were the same group of scientists who did the useless research on human emotions, but this time their findings were unquestionable. Children who were exposed to family feuds and abusive behavior from their parents developed an uncanny ability to read human emotions and predicting outcomes. They learned this ability out of necessity. They needed to guess when a smile turned into a frown, or when a hand bearing gifts left a mark on their cheek so that they could take cover in time. In a distinct sleepy town named Hawkins, a socially awkward boy had graduated in this field with distinction. He was rightfully given the title  _'The Cleric'_  by his friends because he could read tragedy better than anyone with decades worth of medical knowledge backing them up. He also knew how to deal with them because he had been doing it since forever.

Will spoke with confidence, "You know, both of you are blaming yourselves for the same thing. Eleven, you can't forgive yourself because you think your past is hurting Mike. And Mike, you're blaming yourself because you couldn't save her when she was imprisoned in the lab."

The most effective way to find the wound was to hit the patient with the truth as soon as possible. Mike and Eleven looked away from each other.

_'Test results are positive,'_  Will thought.

"It'd be so nice if Eleven was never imprisoned in the lab." Will gave a hearty laugh.

_Step one; lay down the first alternative;_  "Now think. Eleven? If you were never imprisoned in the lab, do you think you could have still found Mike in the woods on that night?"

_Step two; present the second alternative;_  "Mike? If Eleven was never imprisoned in the lab, do you think you could've saved her that night? How many girls have run into your arms in the last five years?"

Both Mike and Eleven shivered as the words entered their ears. They have never heard such blunt statements regarding their past. Will nodded,  _'It's working,'_  he thought.

' _Now list all alternatives.'_

He leaned forward, "Eleven's past is what connects you two, and all of us together."

He paused for a moment to look at Mike and Eleven's faces and started hammering them with words, "If she didn't have her past, then there would be no tents made of blankets, there would be no Eggos, there would be no cycle rides, there would be no lazy boy, there would be no Demogorgon, there would be no adventure, there would be no kisses, there would be no snowball, there would be no Mad Max, Hopper would never have a daughter, my mom would be back with my dad, Jonathan would never find Nancy, Steve would remain the absolute douchebag, Dustin would never get to dance with a girl, Troy would beat the shit out all of us, there would be no PROMISES TO KEEP OR BREAK."

Will didn't let them recover. He kept speaking in a calm voice, "Mike Wheeler and his gang of losers would keep playing D&D in his basement while Eleven, the girl with magic powers would hang out with cool guys like Troy and they would never meet. You want a future like that?"

Mike and Eleven stared at each other, Lucas kept looking at Max while Dustin absently kept chewing a bar of Nougat.

_'Diagnosis complete. Mike and Eleven found each other because of her past, no matter how bad it was.'_  Will thought and smiled absently,  _'It's time to administer the cure.'_

 

Will clapped his hands to bring attention to himself and continued, "You guys are together because of a promise. And that oath has not only helped you to but all of us. Did you guys know that Mom was planning to patch up with Lonnie before I disappeared? Do you guys realize that Max has found a place where she can be free from Billy? Dustin has found a stupid sense of humor, but we're okay with him. Bob could finally become a hero. And you two know that you have found your best friends."

Will let out a sigh and continued, "Eleven, your past has changed all of our lives, and I'd rather return to the upside down than go back to my old life. What about you all?"

The whole gang nodded in unison. Will smiled and continued, "I'm sure you two can get through this just like everything else that happened. But this time you two are not alone. We are here to help you."

Mike and Eleven stared at each other and beamed. Will was right. If her tragedy did not take place, they would never have found each other, and it was worth every nightmare that came with it. They would fight this together, and this time, they had the unconditional support of the legendary vanguards from the Dungeons and Dragons.

Before Eleven could say anything, Will gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "Whatever Mike is going through, you can help him, Eleven. I believe he is searching for a particular memory from your past. Something that will answer a crucial question. Mike?"

Mike tried to answer, but his tongue was stuck firmly in its place and wouldn't move an inch. He had no clue how Will found out the truth. It was as if he really had  _Truesight_. Eleven looked into Mike's eyes and swallowed. She finally understood what he was really searching for.

Mike wanted to know when the innocent child named Jane Ives was transformed into a weapon called Subject Eleven, an armament without a soul, a blade that could cut through flesh and bone like paper,  _a sword that could never be sheathed._  Today was not about Mike's confession, it was always about her.

 

Eleven spoke nervously, "On the day of the Snowball, Mike didn't get into an accident. Some men tried to kill him."

Dustin swallowed part of the nougat's wrapper as Lucas slapped his back in frustration. Max was shocked, she screamed, "WHAT?"

"They were sent by Papa. The man you saw back in the corridor that day." Eleven clenched her fist.

The gang was too shocked to react, so Eleven continued, "I found Mike just before one of the men shot him. I don't remember what happened, but when I woke up, I saw the men. They were..." Eleven swallowed, "...Dead. And one of them looked..."

She couldn't finish the sentence. One of the men had his lower jaw rotated beyond the face, and part of his spine was surgically destroyed by some ungodly force. The other men had his gun snatched away from his hand by the same supernatural power, and he was killed with his own gun without any mercy. It was the act of the devil itself.

Eleven started crying hysterically, "I don't remember anything. It's... it's like back in the lab. Papa would do these tests. He'd put me to sleep, and when I woke up, there would be bodies everywhere. They looked so horrible, torn from limb to limb, spines taken out of the body, heads blown up. I..."

She couldn't finish the sentence, voices shouted in the air.

"That son of a bitch. Hope that Demogorgon ate his balls." Dustin squeezed the nougat into mush.

"Why didn't you kill him when he did these? He isn't really your dad, is he?" Lucas went straight to the point.

Will was running his hands on Eleven's back and consoling her. Eleven let out a silent gasp when she realized that they didn't care about the monster at all. They didn't try to run away from her like others did, and they didn't scream in fear. Their eyes did not show horror or hate, but they expressed an unstoppable resolve. She knew only another person who demonstrated the same determination, it was the boy who had brought her back from her rampage that day at the cost of his life. A drop of tear left her eye as she smiled through her grief.

_'Friends.'_

Mike nudged Eleven slightly, "Tell them the next part."

"Mike? I..."

Mike cleared his throat, "Guys. Hopper told me what Eleven did after that. Go on El."

Eleven placed his hand on Mike's thigh, "The bullet cut his femoral artery. He lost too much blood, and his heart stopped."

The others were looking at Mike as if he was a ghost. Dustin drew a cross in the air and prayed. Mike shouted, "I'm not dead you asshole!"

Eleven continued, "I bound his artery using my powers. Then I squeezed his heart and beat it to a rhythm. Once it started beating normally, I held the artery until Hopper got him to the hospital."

Four jaws were nearly dislocated that day. They knew that Eleven could lift things with her power, but this was at an entirely different level. Even the Jedi in Star Wars couldn't pull off something as remarkable as what this fourteen-year-old child had done that day.  _The truth was indeed stranger than fiction._

 

Dustin lifted his shirt and pointed at an old mark, "Can you make this disappear? It's an old battle wound."

Lucas snickered at him, "It's a stretch mark you fat cow. She's not a veterinarian."

Then, as usual, they started arguing about who looked more like an animal. But Will didn't lose his head, he needed the answer, "How did your Papa make you do these things?"

"He used something called a Control Matrix." Mike groaned, he had figured it out from the last vision he had.

Eleven jerked her head towards Mike, "You know?"

"Just a glimpse. It was the day you were brought into Hawkins."

Lucas sprang up and started pacing the room, "What's a control matrix? A video game?"

Mike replied, "Not sure. It looked like a paper with some diagrams. Before I could see it properly, I was pulled out from the vision. The woman who was showing it to Eleven looked as if she was going to mur..."  _'Shit'_ "... unleash her powers when she saw heard the instructions."

"Eleven. Do you remember anything about this matrix?" Lucas was not going to let go.

Eleven shook her head sideways in frustration, "I don't remember. Whenever I try, I get a massive headache until I pass out. Something is not allowing me to remember the matrix."

Dustin licked his lips, "Brain implants?"

Mike exhaled, "No clue. The vision stopped before I could see how the damn thing worked. I can't trigger these visions. They come to me when they feel like it."

Will thought for a minute and had an idea, "We have to go back to the lab."

"Fuck no." Dustin was out of nougats, and he was pissed off.

Will grimaced, "You think I want to go back there? After all that happened? But we must trigger the vision. Mike said that the last sight was right before she came to Hawkins. We have to find what this Control Matrix is before that man comes for her. WE HAVE TO DO IT FOR ELEVEN."

Lucas came and sat beside Dustin, they glared at each other for a few seconds and nodded. Max smiled at Eleven, "We'll do it for you."

Mike's jaw couldn't handle the shock, so it made a dash towards the floor, _'Crazy bastard, the lot of them.'_

But he laughed, "Yes. We'll go back to that hellhole. You guys would kill for an opportunity to see me drooling and acting like a brain-dead vegetable. But not today. We're too tired, right guys?"

He winked at the gang. They all knew about Eleven's surprise birthday party, and they had toiled for weeks to make it a grand one. They smirked back at him. Eleven was oblivious because she was thinking about the diagrams. Suddenly there was sound from the door. Someone was turning a key, and only one person had the key to the radio room.

"Hold on," Eleven acted without hesitation. She thrust her palm and lifted it in a smooth motion as all of them rose to the ceiling enforced by her incredible power that turned the gravity off for them. Once they reached the top and laid with their backs on the ceiling, she removed the chair with a mental pull. The door opened a moment later, and a bald head walked in and closed the door behind him. Then the person locked the door and made his way to the desk.

 

Ever since Jim Hoppers' niece had walked in through the door that morning, a strange sensation had crept inside Scott Clarke's heart and was not going away. In fact, he was so distracted that when he was taking attendance, he had called out Eleanor instead of Jane by mistake. It didn't make any sense to him, but he knew where a possible clue might be hidden. Scott opened the drawer and brought an old envelope. He grimaced as he recalled the history behind the letter hidden away inside the innocent-looking brown paper. Gently removing the flap, he took out the letter and carefully laid it on the table under the light. It was a rather simple letter, a sort of Last Will and Testament of a man who had disappeared from the world a year back. He tapped his finger below a line that was highlighted with red ink;

_'You'll know when you see her. Her name is Eleven, and you must protect her at all costs. Look out for the nosebleed.'_

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

 

_**The Episode returns after the break with Prithvi: The Goddess of the Earth.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-Credits: Dear readers, sorry for the long break. I'm working on a new project and it's taking a lot of my time. It's the story that took thirteen years in the making, a moment in writing but will take months in narrating. It's the story of how it all began. Coming soon to a screen near you.


	4. Act IV: Prithvi

**Armageddon: Episode III - Pantheon**

**Act IV: Prithvi**

_'Prithvi, the Goddess of the Earth, embodies the second of the three realms of reality. She nurtures the Biosphere and preserves it from the darkness that threaten to consume all life in the cosmos. At times, she can be free flowing like the legendary River Ganges and other times, she can be immovable like a moment in time._

 

Hopper inserted the key into the door of his old police wagon and unlocked it in a practiced motion. Then he opened the door and bent halfway inside the car to search for the file that he had thrown inside last night in a hurry. He found the file below the seat and picked it up. After dusting the cover, he quickly went through the pages to confirm that nothing was missing. Then he carefully placed it inside the glove compartment.

"I'm ready," an excited voice rang behind and unsettled him. He quickly closed the glove box, pulled himself from the inside of the car and turned around to face the future. Jane 'Eleven' Hopper, his adopted daughter, was standing a few feet behind him and beaming like the sun. Today was the day when she would finally be going to school, and she was overwhelmed with the possibilities. Of course, Hopper was sure that ninety percent of the excitement was reserved for the boy named Mike Wheeler who also attended the same school. He often wondered if those two had been together through all their past lives, the attachment between them was so intense that nothing else made sense.

Hopper smiled at his daughter as she came close and hugged him. She didn't notice the stiffness in his posture. He was trying his best to hide it along with the most terrible news that any person could ever give to his daughter. Last night, Eleven's biological mother had been burnt alive when her house had gone up in flames. Hopper had caught the news this morning and broke the TV before Eleven could see it herself. He was still scared shitless because he could anticipate her reaction to the revelation. While most normal children would be destroyed by such a tragedy, Eleven would probably end up destroying the town with her psionic powers instead. Hopper had spent the last hour thinking about the various ways to communicate the truth to his daughter but came up short every time. His hope now lay with Mike Wheeler, the only person who Eleven loved as much if not more than her mother. It wasn't strange, Eleven had never known her mother until a few months ago, but she had met and fell in love with Mike Wheeler over a year back. He was the first person in this world to have sheltered Eleven against her fate and for that reason he was probably the last person who could stop Eleven from her inner demons.

 

_'Everything rests on you, Mike. I can't handle this,'_ Hopper thought as he closed the door after his daughter and went around to climb into the driver's seat. Then a few seconds later, the police wagon slowly rolled onto the morning light and made its way to the town. Hopper noticed that Eleven was speaking a lot more than usual today, but he was lost in thought and could only pick up a few lines here and there.

...

...

"I will sit with Mike. Can I sit at his table?"

...

...

"... Dustin likes chocolate. I'll give him the..."

...

"I wonder how big the school is. I only saw one room last time..."

...

"... the tank..."

...

"...WATCH OUT!!!!"

The scream brought Hopper out of his trance, and he saw a small kid right in front of the car. Time slowed down as Hopper tried to analyze the situation. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a woman standing at the side of the road with her arms spread forward. She was definitely the mother of the kid who had run onto the road after a small stray puppy. Hopper focussed his eyes on the speedometer of the car and found the indicator at sixty. He quickly did the math in his head as he pressed the brake as hard as he could and swerved the steering wheel. The result came into his mind a fraction of a second later, _'You're not gonna make it.'_

"FUUC.." Hopper couldn't finish the curse. The car was suddenly stopped in its tracks by an invisible barrier, and he braced for the impact as his body lurched forward. A moment later, he lost his breath as the seatbelt arrested his momentum and the sudden deceleration knocked the air out of his lungs. Then everything stopped, and silence hung in the air. A second later, Hopper turned his face and glanced at his daughter to make sure she was alright. Truth to be told, he didn't need to worry because she was absolutely fine. Eleven's eyes were focussed on the road as if the world didn't exist around her. She had used her powers to stop the car, and as expected, drops of blood had started dripping down her nostril. Hopper quickly moved his arm and caught the droplets before it fell on her shirt and ruined it. He wiped his daughter's nose with his forearm and spoke gently, "Thanks. I'm sorry."

Eleven smiled at her father, "It's okay."

Hopper nodded and turned his face to observe the kid. His mother had already arrived at the spot and had picked him up in her arms. Her face showed a mix of horror, disbelief, and relief. She smiled apologetically at Hopper and quickly crossed the street to get away from her worst nightmare. Once the coast was clear, Hopper drove with complete attention and reached the school within a minute. Then they got out of the car and started making their way towards the steps.

 

"Hey Jim." A voice stopped them in their tracks.

Hopper turned around and waved at the man in response, "Hey Clarke."

Scott Clarke reached them and grinned at Eleven, "Hello. I am Scott, and you must be Jane."

In response, Eleven vigorously nodded her head and smiled at the man with a kind face. This man had repeatedly helped Mike and his friends in the past, and for that reason, she genuinely admired him. Now she finally got to meet him.

Hopper pressed Eleven's shoulder and formally introduced the man, "Jane, this is Scott Clarke, your science teacher."

A voice echoed inside Eleven's soul and shattered an illusion, _'Find my brother, Eleven. His name is Scott Clarke...'_

_'Mr. Clarke is Scott Clarke, brother of James. My friend from the lab,'_ Eleven almost screamed but somehow restrained herself. She had so many questions concerning this man but realized that now was not a good time to ask them. Maybe she'd get the chance soon, but first, she needed to see Mike.

Hopper watched curiously as Eleven's expression changed in an instant as soon as he introduced Scott. Her jaw made a dash towards the ground, and her eyes were on the verge of leaving their sockets. Hopper moved his gaze towards Scott's face and observed the same expression on his face. They were looking at each other as if they had found a long-lost treasure. But Scott gained his composure a moment later and spoke in alarm, "Jim. She's got a nosebleed."

Hopper quickly took out his handkerchief and wiped the droplet of blood from Eleven's nose. Then he spoke solemnly, "She's got a medical condition Scott. It's not serious, but please look after her. If you see her bleeding, call me asap."

Scott countered, "You sure she'll be okay? Maybe you should take her back today and bring her..."

"NO!" Eleven let out a soft scream and clutched Hopper's hand tightly.

Hopper assured Scott, "She'll be okay. It's a lifelong problem. Just don't let her get stressed. No gym or sports, as we discussed."

Scott sighed, "Alright. Let's go, Jane."

Eleven wanted to hug her father but controlled herself as she remembered his instructions. To the outside world, Jane was Hopper's niece, and she couldn't display strong emotions towards him like a daughter. She merely smiled at her father and then slowly walked towards the steps with Scott. They made their way to the door, stopped for a second as Eleven turned around to look at her father, who assured her with a smile and then they disappeared into the hallway. As soon as the door closed, Hopper sighed and turned around to walk towards the car. He needed to go to his station and make some arrangements. A few days later this week, he would revisit the city to investigate the events surrounding Teresa's death, but he already knew the perpetrator.

"Martin Brenner. You'll get what's coming to you," Hopper swore as he pressed the accelerator and drove his car towards the police station. He didn't let the speedometer jump beyond thirty this time.

 

Karen Wheeler parked the car near the driveway and ran towards the door as fast as possible. She couldn't drive to the garage because another vehicle was blocking the path. The engine of the car was still running, and the doors were wide open. Karen also noticed some red stains on the seat of the car. _'Blood?'_ She thought as she reached the door to her house in a few seconds and yanked it open. Then she saw a scene that knocked the breath straight out of her.

Teresa Ives, the woman from her past, was lying on the carpet in their drawing room. Ted was squatting beside her with a towel and a bottle of antiseptic liquid. Nancy sat towards the right and held Teresa's head on her lap and Jonathan was entering the room from the kitchen with a bowl in his hand. But none of this surprised her as much as the voice that echoed in her mind, _'Jane and Teresa Ives will always have a home here. No matter what happens, Jane will never be alone in this universe. That's a promise.'_

The voice belonged to herself. Karen lost her balance and nearly fell to the floor as her knees gave away. But she steadied herself and somehow made it to the crowd and sat down beside Teresa. She ran her eyes on her long-lost friend and noted her features with utmost care. Teresa looked healthy, but there was a wound on her forehead. It was almost dry now but looked deep enough to have caused severe bleeding some time ago.

Karen looked at her daughter and spoke with a voice of steel, "Tell me what happened right now."

Nancy moved her gaze to the floor, "She was wounded in an accident. We found her and brought her..."

"ENOUGH,” Karen screamed, “No more lies Nancy. The truth, right now. You don't know who she is to us."

Ted answered instead, "She does. I told her the story, and she promised to tell us the truth. We were waiting for you. But for now, let's take care of our friend."

Karen bit her lips and looked at her husband who appeared thoughtful. But his eyes gleamed as if he had put his foot down and had finally taken a decision. She sighed and spoke calmly, "Fine. We'll speak about this later. Just tell me one thing, Nancy."

Nancy braced for the question that she had already anticipated.

"Jane Hopper. Who is she?"

Nancy replied in an instant, "She is the one we all have been waiting for, Jane Ives, the daughter of Teresa Ives."

Karen inhaled sharply and almost broke down, "Oh God. She didn't die. Ted, she's alive!"

Ted grinned at his wife, "And Mike already found her. You still think I was crazy to keep the flower vase?"

Karen started laughing in relief, "No. You're not."

Then Karen composed herself and turned towards her daughter, "Where is she?"

"She's at the school with Mike."

"I... we need to see her."

"You can come to the birthday party," Jonathan suddenly spoke up. After all, the party was being arranged in his house, and he could invite guests. Karen eyed Ted and nodded in unison, they'd visit her tonight. Something terrible had been happening in Hawkins for a long time, and it was time to find the truth once and for all. But more importantly, it was time to tell the truth to Mike and Jane.

Karen took the bowl of warm water from Jonathan's hand and dipped some cotton into it. Then she started cleaning the wound on Teresa's forehead. She had undergone some nursing training after college and knew her way around small traumas.

Nancy was worried and spoke with a shaking voice, "We need to get her to the hospital, Mom. We don't know how deep the wound is and she's not waking up."

Karen responded without looking up, "Call the doctor who was looking after Mike in the hospital."

"Owens? But Mom..."

"Call him Nancy. He knows more than he lets on."

Nothing escaped the watchful eyes of Karen Wheeler. Jonathan went to the phone and grabbed the directory. Then he dialled Dr. Sam Owens.

 

"Hey, chief? Getting old?" Powell smirked as Hopper got out of his wagon and slammed the door. Powell had spent the last minute observing Hopper as he slowly drove the last stretch towards his station. Powel was clearly surprised at the speed of the car. Hopper glared at him and walked towards the door without saying a single word. He wasn't in a mood to engage in small talks. He yanked the door open and entered the precinct.

Before he could walk towards his cabin, Florence yelled from her desk, "Chief. There's some guy named Sam Owens calling you for the past hour. He's not letting up chief. Probably called a dozen times already."

_'What now?'_ Hopper felt as if everything was going wrong in Hawkins at the same time. He took out the small transmitter from his pocket and checked the device carefully. Owens was supposed to call him on this device, not on his office phone. But something was wrong with the blasted contraption. Hopper thumbed the switch a few times, but it didn't respond. Suddenly, the telephone in his office started ringing. Florence yelled again, "For the love of God, Jim. Give him a radio."

Hopper crashed through the door to his office to pick up the phone. About thirty seconds later, he ran out of his office faster than he had entered. Before Florence could ask him what was going on, Hopper shouted, "I'm taking the day off. If anyone asks, tell him I've left the country."

Then he stormed out of the station and ran towards his car.

Powell was driving away from the police station when the chief's car shot past his at almost twice the speed. He whistled as he noticed his own speedometer, _'Nope. He's not getting old, that's for sure.'_

 

An hour later, Hopper reached the Wheeler residence and recognized an odd collection of cars in front of the house. He identified Karen's car which was parked at an odd angle beside the driveway. Behind that, he saw Owen's battered wagon, and on the other side, he also identified the brand-new BMW convertible that Steve's dad had given him on his birthday. But there was an unknown Chevy Chevelle parked across the path leading to the garage and blocked the entire entrance. Hopper tried remembering the car but didn't get a single clue. He stopped his wagon behind the others and ran towards the door to the house. A minute later, he entered the house and cursed loudly, "JEESUS!"

The occupants looked at him as if they were used to people entering the house and cursing loudly. They were not surprised, but Hopper was at a complete loss for words. A random group of people was assembled in the Wheeler residence. First of all, there was the Wheelers, except Mike who was at School. Then Jonathan and Steve were standing in one corner and whispering among themselves. Dr. Sam Owens was sitting on a chair and carefully observing a body that lied motionlessly on the couch. It was the body that shocked Hopper to the core. Teresa Ives was lying on a sofa inside Wheeler Residence as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were closed, and a bandage was wrapped around her temple. There were no scorch marks on her body as if the fire had not even touched her. _'What? How?'_ Hopper thought as he tried closing his mouth.

When Hopper recovered, he noticed that everyone was looking at him as if he was the Messiah. Owens jumped up from the chair, "Did you get the medicine?"

Hopper reached inside his pocket and brought out the vial that he had picked up from his cabin on his way here. About an hour back, he had received one critical instruction over the phone, "Jim. There's no time to explain. Get the anti-hemorrhage medicine and come to the Wheelers as fast as you can."

Hopper had tried interjecting, "But..."

"NO BUTS. A life is at stake here. GET ME THE MEDICINE ASAP."

 

Owens took the vial and nodded in satisfaction. Then he ran to the couch and picked up a syringe that was already prepared for the task ahead. Hopper had too many questions in his mind, but he had no idea who to ask. Karen looked as if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown while Ted was running his hands across her back and consoling her. Nancy was assisting Owens with the procedure. Hopper had never seen such a long needle in his life. He ran his eyes over Holly who giggled at him. Then his eyes fell on Steve and Jonathan who were trying to look away. He growled, "YOU TWO! COME HERE."

"But..."

"NO BUTS. IN THE KITCHEN, NOW."

It took Hopper thirty minutes to wrap his head around the events that had led to Teresa Ives being present inside the Wheeler House, wounded and on the verge of death from intracranial hemorrhage. He banged his fist on the table and shouted, "You are an absolute idiot, Byers. I expected better from you."

Jonathan looked into the chief's eyes and spoke with calm determination, "What would you have done Chief? Would you have left Eleven and gone after Martin Brenner? Teresa would be dead if we didn't go chasing that wild goose."

"You could have been killed. He's too dangerous."

"Yes. But we didn't. That's what's more important."

Steve was not part of the discussion, but he tried to get a few words in, "Guys. I still say let's take her to a hospital."

Both Hopper and Jonathan spoke simultaneously, "Too risky."

Then Hopper growled in his throat, "I know what you two are thinking. Stay out of my way boys. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch, and I don't want anyone of you getting involved."

"Didn't you say he was dangerous?"

Hopper looked towards the room where an old man was desperately trying to prevent death from reaching an invalid woman. He sighed, "That's why I want you to stay back. Someone needs to take care of Eleven once I'm gone."

Hopper had accepted his fate. He would take Martin Brenner out at all costs so Eleven and her friends could have a future.

"We want to help," Steve spoke with conviction.

Jonathan voiced support, "It's not like we can't take care of ourselves. We almost killed the Demogorgon last time."

After a few minutes of debating the boys, Hopper calmed himself and spoke softly, "All right, fine. You two can help. But next time, call me first. Martin is unlike anything even I have ever faced. We have to stop him together."

"That means we're in?" Steve leaned forward in excitement.

"It's not like you'll listen to reason. So, I'm considering it. But you'll not go after him directly, leave it to me. Your job is to protect the kids and Eleven for now. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Jonathan and Steve shouted together.

Hopper groaned, "Teenagers."

 

Dr. Sam Owens walked into the kitchen with a broad smile, "She's safe. The medicine worked perfectly."

Hopper felt the tension leaving his body. Steve and Jonathan ran out of the kitchen as Dr. Owens came and sat beside Hopper and stared at the wall in front of them. Hopper cleared his throat, "Owens. I'm sorry for losing my shit back at the hospital."

Dr. Owens casually fanned his arms, "It's okay Jim. I should've told you the truth back then."

Hopper looked at his friend, "The truth?"

Dr. Owens gently started speaking to the air in front of him, "The medicine was not designed for Eleven. It was designed for Teresa, and it saved her from her powers today."

Hopper felt a nuclear bomb going off in his field of belief. He leaned over the counter and shouted, "WHAT?"

"The number, Eleven, is factually incorrect. She was the first child to express the gift but not the first person to do so. We have been protecting Teresa and Eleven from Martin for a very long time Jim. It didn't start a year back, it started fourteen years ago."

Hopper pressed his palm against his face, "Owens. Tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry Hopper. All of you have gotten involved in something that has taken countless lives so far."

Hopper wanted to go fetch his daughter from school right now along with Mike Wheeler and take them out of the country by nightfall. Maybe he could go to Mexico. Owens smiled sadly, "Won't work. You can't run away from Martin. You have to win the war."

"Owens, please. They are just kids."

Owens fished around his pocket and brought out an envelope made of plastic. He carefully opened it and took out an old paper and laid it on the table. Hopper leaned in to take a better look and felt confused at the words that were written on the paper. Owens whispered casually, "Teresa wrote these even before Eleven was born."

Hopper lost his shit, "OWENS? THE FUCK?"

"Yes, my friend. It's destiny."

 

Back in the Wheeler's drawing room, Nancy was confessing to her parents. This was the third time she was telling the story, but this time, she decided to tell them the absolute truth. She felt that the truth could no longer be hidden from them and most importantly, they needed to know the fate of their friend Teresa and her daughter. Ted and Karen were listening to her story with rapt attention. They were visibly shocked when Nancy started the story by explaining Eleven's powers to them. Ted held his hand up, "Wait wait. She can do what?"

"Dad, she has psychic powers."

"Like in the movies?"

"Yes. She can make things float with her mind. She can also find people by looking at their photos."

"She's a Jedi?" Ted was a big fan of Star Wars.

The reference skipped over the head of the girls as they looked at him in irritation. Ted sighed, "Go on."

Nancy started narrating the story from her memories. Part of it was from her own experiences, the other part was from the days when Mike cried to sleep every night in her arms after Eleven had disappeared. He confessed everything to his sister back then. Now she was narrating it to her parents as best as she could. It wasn't a smooth ride because Karen and Ted lost their shit every now and then and interrupted her. Nancy was irritated but not surprised. Eleven's story was a potent mix of sci-fi, horror, tragedy, and romance, all at the same time. A lot of retrospection was needed to grasp the depth of that saga.

"YOU WENT DOWN THERE? WITH JONATHAN?" Karen looked at her daughter as if she had just confessed to murder.

Nancy sighed, "Mom, it's over."

"No, it's not. I'm gonna have a talk with Jonathan after this," Karen scowled towards the kitchen where Hopper was discussing something with the boys. Nancy prayed for Jonathan and continued. She was about to tell the part where Eleven sacrificed herself to save Mike. Nancy watched Karen as she grabbed Ted's arm and held it tightly. Her knuckles were turning white with the pressure.

"Then she disappeared into a cloud of ash. You saw what it did to Mike. Mom, it almost made him crazy as he kept searching for her."

Karen lowered her head on Ted's shoulder as tears started streaming down her eyes. She realized how close she had been to losing Jane forever and it shattered her heart. She had loved that girl even before she had been born.

Nancy almost choked up, "Mike kept calling Eleven..."

 

Her speech was cut short suddenly when Dr. Owens jumped up from where he was sitting and yelled, "Eureka! It's working."

Karen, Ted, and Nancy ran towards the couch. Dr. Owens smiled at them triumphantly and spoke, "The medicine's working. Just as I thought."

Karen clutched his hand, "She's gonna be alright?"

Dr. Owens nodded, "She'll be good as new in a few hours. She just needs some rest and food."

Karen smiled, "I know just what she likes. I'll make her some soup."

Then Dr. Owens left for the kitchen, and they sat in front of the couch. Karen held Teresa's hand and urged Nancy to continue. She needed closure to decide what to do with her son and Jane.

"Mike kept calling out to Eleven for 353 days. Every day."

Ted nodded, "He's dedicated. I'd give him that."

"But she couldn't respond, Hopper was hiding her in his cabin."

Karen cursed angrily, "Hopper's an asshole. He had any idea what it did to Mike?"

"Mom, the agents were still looking for her."

"Damn them to hell. How dare they lock up Jane? She is a part of this family."

Ted spoke calmly, "I'll get in touch with a friend in the Pentagon. He might be knowing something. We need to get the agents off her back once and for all."

A few minutes down the line, Steve and Jonathan came out of the kitchen and sat beside them. Nancy moved onto the fateful night when Eleven closed the gate.

"Hopper walked in a few hours later, carrying her body in his arms. She was dead."

"WHAT? BUT SHE'S ALIVE."

"Mike brought her back, mom. Don't ask how, we still don't know the true extent of her power," Nancy paused.

Steve took over, "A part of her power is tied to Mike. Dustin told me the story later. Mike reached inside Eleven's soul and brought her back from death."

"Oh, so he's a Jedi too?" Ted was excited.

"NOOO," everyone screamed with frustration. Ted had thrown in over a dozen Jedi references so far and didn't show any sign of letting up.

"She came back from death because of a promise." Nancy knew the truth. Mike had not stopped confessing to her even after Eleven had come back to him and ended his nightmare.

Karen leaned in and spoke, "What promise?"

Nancy smiled at the people looking at her, "Mike had promised Eleven that he would give her a life that she deserves. And she had promised to live it with him."

"Awww, he likes her," Karen grinned at Ted.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "They are fourteen, Karen."

"And at what age did you write your first love letter, Ted?"

"Would you look at the time. Hurry up, Nancy."

They all laughed, and Nancy continued to the Snowball. It was a heartwarming story, and Karen started laughing, "He spent a week selecting that outfit."

"Not funny mom. He nearly lost his cool and left the stadium." Nancy puffed her lips in mock frustration. Then she picked up the water bottle to take a sip. The next part was the hardest to narrate.

 

"Mom, dad. Mike didn't get into an accident on the night of the Snowball."

Nancy let the dialogue sink in and continued in a rapid pace, "He was shot by an assassin sent by Martin Brenner. The same man who had stolen Eleven. The same man who had fried her brains."

Nancy indicated Teresa. This piece of information was so shocking that Karen and Ted forgot to react. Then Nancy delivered the final bombshell, "The same man who tried to kill Teresa last night."

She waited for his parents to make a comment. It came after three minutes. Ted spoke up with a shaking voice, "What is this Martin Brenner?"

He could finally see a monster instead of a man. In fact, he was close to finding the true nature of the beast. Karen kept her mouth closed because she couldn't find the words to speak.

"He is the man who is hell bent on destroying this world. And he wants to use Eleven to do it," Dr. Owens came out of the kitchen along with Hopper. Hopper looked like he was staring at some ghosts. His eyes kept fluttering between Teresa and the occupants of the room.

Ted squawked, "But why Mike?"

Dr. Owens hardened his jaw and spoke with resolution, "Whatever his plan is, only one person in this world can stop him, Ted. And that's your boy, Mike Wheeler. He can take away his weapon, as he was destined to do so."

Karen suddenly shrieked, "This is crazy. There's a madman running out there, and all of you are speaking as if its a story from the fables. Weapon? She's a child for God's sake."

"Not to Martin. To him, she's an expendable weapon, ready to be used and discarded as he pleases. He won't stop until he kills her."

"Then call the police, call the military, call the press, call the goddamned government."

"They'll take away Jane. Are you okay with that?" Dr. Owens directly challenged Karen.

She didn't even take a second to answer the question, "No. I won't let anyone take Teresa and Jane away from me ever again."

Ted nodded and voiced support, "We made a promise, Dr. Owens. We Wheelers tend to keep our promises at whatever the cost."

Ted got up and moved to Hopper, "Jim. I'll do whatever I can. I don't know how to shoot a gun, but I have significant financial resources. And I know a few people in the Pentagon."

Hopper automatically shook his head, he was still dazed from whatever discussion he’d had with Dr. Owens in the kitchen. Steve and Jonathan walked to Nancy and started whispering something to her. Karen pressed Teresa's hand against her lips and closed her eyes. Even Holly was looking determined as she carried an old book in her arms that portrayed a Knight on the cover.

 

Dr. Owens smiled satisfactorily, it was happening again. The inescapable gravity of Eleven was drawing people towards her. The alleged power was so potent that at one time, Martin had to devise special plans to restrain it. But now that she was free at last, this side of her power was rising again. The real power of Eleven was not her ability to move things around with her mind.

The true potential of Eleven was the bonds she forged with people who loved her and like the gravity of a collapsing neutron star, they were almost impossible to escape from. Martin had given a name to that power, _'The Bonds of Destiny'_  - _the true power of the girl who could mould the lives of those she cared about._ And now that the Wheelers had become a part of the star system, Teresa's prophecy was finally fulfilled after fourteen agonizing years.

The world did not believe in miracles, but Dr. Owens did. And now, the people in this room joined him as well. He carefully made his way to Teresa and checked her pulse. It was beating at a steady pace, and she would be awake soon. The rest was up to Karen now. She was, after all, the Goddess of this house and Dr. Owens knew better than to mess around with mothers. Martin nearly lost his life to one. He smiled at the occupants as he walked towards the door, "See you all at the party."

Hopper glowered at him, "Who invited you?"

"Teresa did." Dr. Owens tapped his palm on the pocket where he kept the only remaining copy of Teresa's prophecy that started everything. He had decided to tell the story of Eleven to all the invitees of the party tonight. Every one of them had already become a part of Eleven's constellation even before she was born. Now they would fight this war by her side.

"It's time to end this, old friend. Once and for all." Dr. Owens murmured as he left the room to prepare for the grand revelation of Teresa's message to the heavens.

 

**_The Episode continues after the break with 'Apollo: The God of Light.'_ **

  
  
****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A. The part about Scott Clarke's brother is expanded in my new project: 'Eleven: The Beginning (Chapter 1 published now).' Next chapters in both Pantheon and in that project will showcase the true impact of that man in Eleven's life when she was imprisoned in HNL.
> 
> B. One of Eleven's most potent gift is named Bonds of Destiny; if you're a new reader, I'll suggest that you read 'Armageddon - Episode II: Gravity.' Going forward this ability will play a vital role in the upcoming final battle.
> 
> C. The anti-hemorrhage medicine is a relic of the past, referred first in 'Arc IV: Unsheathed.' Then occasionally mentioned in other places. The exact nature of that discovery is finally revealed here.
> 
> D. Ted's not speaking in thin air, he really has contacts in places.
> 
> This chapter serves a starting point of my connected universe. So far, my stories had remained mostly independent and tackled one concept at a time. I had given references wherever required, but now everything is coalescing together as we move forward to the next episode of Armageddon. 
> 
> Please let me know how you are liking the story so far.


	5. Act V: Apollo

**Armageddon: Episode III - Pantheon**

**Act V: Apollo**

_Apollo, is the Olympian God of the sun and light. He is harmony, reason and moderation personified, a perfect blend of physical superiority and moral virtue._

_His power shatters lies and reveals the truth hidden in the deepest corner of the human soul._

 

Scott Clarke was a man who believed in the rational side of nature. He didn't believe in magic, or ghosts, or telepathy. So, one day when he received a strange letter from his long-estranged brother, he thought that his brother was merely messing with his mind. Now, over one year later, he held that letter in his shaking hands as his beliefs forever shattered into pieces.  
  
Earlier that day, Jim Hopper had brought his young niece to school for the first time, she would be studying here for the next couple of years. At that very moment, dozens of alarm clocks had gone off in Scott's subconscious and had not stopped ringing even for a moment. Their cacophony had finally broken through the web of lies when he reached the radio room and retrieved this cursed piece of paper.  
  
The first alarm had fired on the same day Jim had called to give the heads up. If it was anyone else, Scott wouldn't have cared. But he was almost sure that Jim had no relatives with a kid that age. To top it off, Jim said that the girl was just about to arrive in Hawkins in a few days. Then who was the kid for whom Jim kept buying the Eggos, candies, and comics for? Scott had excellent observation skills but chose not to delve in gossips or slander.   Then came the fact that the young girl looked familiar to him. He couldn't place a name to that elongated face with those pointy ears, but he was sure that he had seen her earlier. His subconscious delivered the answer a few hours ago when Scott accidentally called out Eleanor instead of Jane while taking attendance. Jane Hopper was Eleanor, Mike's estranged cousin from Sweden, which would have been an impossible idea save for another fact that connected all the strings together. Jane Hopper was bleeding from her nose this morning when Scott met her for the first time. Eleanor had suffered a nosebleed last year at the stadium where Troy pissed his pants. And according to this letter, the telepathic girl named Eleven would also bleed from her nose under unusual circumstances.  
  
Scott loved facts, they shed light on the mystery enveloping the cosmos and enabled men of science to have a better perception of their surroundings. But for once in his life, Scott hated the facts and the secrets that were unearthed by them. Puzzles were not new in Hawkins. Last year, Will Byers had gone missing in the woods for over a week until he was rescued by Jim Hopper. That was a conundrum because right at the time when he was saved, the school was shut down by the military for weeks without any prior notification, and then Hopper was all over the case like a relentless hound. What was so crucial that Hopper abandoned the case of Will Byers and dived straight into the Russian Spy incident involving the school? As far as Scott's knowledge went, Hopper preferred keeping his distance from the feds. The events might not be connected, but Scott didn't like coincidences. Then something peculiar occurred a few months ago when all the lights in his sleeping room burned like the sun for a few minutes, twice. The second time it nearly blinded him as he struggled to leave the room in search of safely. Scott hated these specific mysteries because he couldn't connect them. But maybe now he could.  
  
And then there was this new enigma. Scott turned his head towards his right and observed the brand new radio that was carefully assembled on top of a sturdy table. The old set had been ruined by some unknown calamity on the same day when Eleanor had visited the school. He had tried raising funds to buy a new one but returned empty-handed every time. But then he got the shock of his life when he discovered a huge box outside his office a few days ago. It had contained this marvelous contraption, the best radio set in the market right now. There was a small note attached to the box that read, _‘The mantle is being passed on to you. Protect it until your last breath.’_

Scott was utterly confused about the note, and the device accompanying it. He evaluated the paper and came to a conclusion that it was printed by a law firm, there was a logo embossed on the paper. He searched the directory and called their head office in Atlanta, but the firm refused to divulge any information about their clients. He did notice the type of the business the firm conducted, it centered around managing properties and executing wills and testaments. Was this device a part of someone's final Will and Testament? That made no sense to Scott, he knew no one who could allocate such a massive amount of funds to a small town school teacher and his unusual hobbies.  
  
But none of this came even close to the mystery of this girl named Eleven. According to his brother, James, the young child could… Scott felt a drop off water in his head. He instinctively put his hand on his head to wipe the droplet off. Then it hit him. He was sitting in his office, and there were no water lines above his head. He lowered his hand in front of his face and lost his composure completely. His palm was coated in blood. Scott gulped and slowly raised his head above to look at the ceiling. He saw a beautiful face with a bloodied nose and eyes full of fear and guilt, then the world crashed around him, and he lost his consciousness.

  
  
Just a few minutes before Mr. Clarke was slapped with the most shocking truth of his life, a group of children was on the verge of losing their collective shit inside the same radio room. Eleven had successfully evaded their capture by floating them to the ceiling before he had walked into the room. But Mr. Clarke showed no sign of leaving in any time soon. He was comfortably sitting on his desk staring at a strange piece of paper that he had pulled out of the drawer some time ago. Mike breathed to calm himself down and turned his head to look the girl who was trying her best to keep them pinned to the ceiling. Eleven was looking down at Mr. Clarke, and her chest moved slightly, an indication that she was trying her best to focus her powers on the six of them. Mike observed the lights in the room with a tinge of uncertainty, but they didn’t flicker at all, an indication of Eleven’s maturity with her powers. The lights were slightly brighter than usual, but Mr. Clarke was so absorbed in that yellow piece of paper that he didn’t notice the strange deviation at all.  
  
If Eleven could somehow persist a few minutes longer, they might escape their fate after all. Mike was about to smile at his fortune, but his lips stopped moving as his eyes fell on Eleven’s face. A drop of blood had come out from her nose and was about to fall straight down on the shiny head below them. _‘Shit,’_ Mike extended his arm to catch the droplet. He couldn’t make any sound lest he ended up giving their position away. His arms almost reached her nose, but then the droplet flew free and made a dash towards the floor. _‘Gravity is such a bitch,’_ Mike made a note in his head as the drop fell on Mr. Clarke’s head. He looked up a moment later as Eleven shot straight towards him with a violent push and knocked him out cold. Then she brought the other kids down to the ground.  
  
They were speechless. Lucas gained his composure a second later and spoke with a shaky voice, “Did… did you… umm…”  
Eleven put him at ease by speaking earnestly, “I didn’t hurt him. He passed out from the shock of seeing me.”  
“But you’re not scary!” Max sounded uncertain.  
Mike swallowed as an image from the night of Snowball flashed in his mind. Dustin was looking at Mr. Clarke’s face with a strange curiosity. A few minutes passed in awkward silence, no one knew what to do.  
  
Suddenly Will shouted and jumped back a few feet from where he was standing. The others immediately turned to his direction and found him staring at the old paper that Mr. Clarke was reading earlier. During the commotion, it had flown away from the table and landed near the wall from where Will had picked it up a few minutes earlier. Now he was looking at it as if it was a death warrant. His eyes were jumping all over the paper and kept trying their best to move away. But that old article held them like super glue.  
  
Mike ran to Will, held his shoulders and shook him, “Will? WILL?”  
Will looked at Mike and then moved his gaze at Eleven who immediately looked away. She knew what that letter contained. Will groaned, “You know what this is?”  
“Yes.” Eleven replied in a sad voice as drops of tear started rolling down her cheek. Everyone was shocked, Max ran to her, “Eleven?”  
She spoke in a broken voice, “That letter is from James, his brother. "  
Eleven pointed to the unconscious form of Mr. Clarke and spoke earnestly, "James was my only friend from the lab. He died on the night I escaped.”  
Hawkins would soon need more dentists if jaws kept dislocating at such a high rate. The kids were dumbfounded. Eleven had a friend in the lab? That man had written a letter to Mr. Clarke? He was his brother? And he was dead?  
Mike cleared his throat, “Umm, guys. Shouldn’t we leave before he wakes up?”  
Before anyone could speak, Eleven spoke with resolve, “NO. We are not leaving. I have to tell him about James.”

  
The old Eleven, who had slammed the door on the very first day Lucas was about to rat her out, was back and she would not budge an inch even for Mike. She decided to tell the truth to the man who was supposed to save her on that fateful night, and the gang had to concede to her demands. In fact, they were happy at the outcome, because they liked Mr. Clarke a lot. He had selflessly helped them in the past, and for that, he deserved to know the truth. But in all probability, they also needed to hear the truth from him. It was an equivalent exchange.  
  
They propped Mr. Clarke carefully on the ground so he wouldn’t fall over. Then they sat on the floor and started discussing the letter. Dustin wanted to read it, and so did Lucas. But Mike and Max were against reading a message addressed to someone else. Will coughed and pointed to Eleven, “We can read it if she gives us permission. It’s addressed to her as well.”

  
Eleven slowly nodded as Will sighed and started reading the letter with a heavy heart;  
  
_‘Dear Eleven,_  
  
_If you’re reading this letter, then don’t. It’s not for you. Remember our talk about privacy?’_  
  
“Whoa, whoa!” Mike raised his arm, “She’s not supposed to read it.”  
Dustin made a funny noise through his teeth, “I only heard Dear Eleven.”  
“But…”  
“Read it!” Eleven spoke in a cold voice that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

* * *

Will continued;

_‘Dear Brother,_  
  
_If you’re reading this letter, that means I am no longer on this earth. Don’t feel sad, I have fulfilled my duty. I have preserved the most sacred blossom in this world. And now I pass the mantle onto you. You must follow my instructions carefully, the fate of the world depends on it. And so does the future of a child._  
  
_What I am about to write may sound like the dialogues of a complete madman, but I swear on our mother’s grave, that every bit of it is the absolute truth. I request you to throw away all your prejudices and read this letter with an open mind._  
  
_Science has failed us._  
  
_It started over thirteen years ago. You knew that I was working for the government back then. What you didn’t know was the nature of our research. The world was so paranoid back then that we kept receiving hundreds of reports about strange experiments being run across the continents. The Soviets made the most noise, and we would often shred their statements without reading because they were straight out of Sci-fi Novels. But those reports gave us an opportunity to conduct trials of our own. I always thought them to be a bunch of lies, designed to siphon money off the government's paranoia._  
  
_Then one day, I met a psychiatrist named Dr. Sam Owens, and my world changed forever. In some ways, you could say that he opened my eyes. Truth be told, I wish he didn’t, because I wasn’t ready to witness the horror the world brought forward. He invited me to join a project called MK Ultra, being run by the CIA right here in the States. They were trying to push the human mind beyond its limits and dear brother, they had succeeded._  
  
_It all started with simple activities, like bending spoons, or reading words from the reverse side of the paper. Then they discovered Teresa Ives. I still don’t know how they found her, but she showed a fantastic ability. She could see into the future. I know that you are probably laughing now, I was too, until Sam invited me during one of the experiments. I witnessed sorcery for the first time in my life, and right then I knew that we were doomed. Under special circumstances, Teresa predicted the exact winning combination of a lottery five times in a row. But that wasn’t the true extent of her power, her real gift to this world was the curse she gave birth to before losing her sanity forever._  
  
_I moved to Sweden for a couple of years to do some research. Sam was taking care of Teresa while I was gone. Then I returned and found the world at the brink of chaos. The ruin was started by the most intriguing man I have ever seen. Dr. Martin Brenner, the lead scientist of MK Ultra, is a monster in human disguise. He continuously tries pushing the limits of his subjects and has no sympathy for their well being. From the very start, he was not aiming for Teresa. He had his eyes set on her unborn child, a girl named Jane Ives, who was endowed with heavenly powers. I could probably write a novel about her, but in simple terms, she is the pinnacle of human existence. Some would say that she is not even human. I agree._  
  
_She is something beyond humanity. I coined a term for her, ‘Homo Superior,’ the next step in human evolution._  
  
_While Teresa could make small things float with her mind and look into the near future, her daughter, Jane can rip open an armored tank with her psionic abilities and find people across the oceans by only looking at their picture, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. During one of the experiments, I witnessed her bringing down an entire covert military unit within five minutes. She ripped them to shreds in the blink of an eye. It was a horrible sight indeed, but it was not her fault._  
_  
While I was in Sweden, Martin had forged Jane into an unstoppable weapon without a soul in the guise of countering the Soviet Experiments. The military provided their full support to him and why wouldn’t they? Think about the possibilities, a covert superhuman assassin resembling a sweet and innocent child. She could get through security by the sheer virtue of her small stature and delightful behavior. Once she penetrated the shield, she could just blow the brains of her target…’_

* * *

“Enough!” Mike shouted.  
Will stopped reading and gritted his teeth in frustration. Eleven was standing in front of them like a statue. Her past and future were being uncovered right in front of her friends’ eyes, and she was too shocked to react. Mike felt as if her clothes were being ripped away one piece at a time while she was powerless to stop them. He moved to her and gently clasped her shoulders.  
“It’s okay. It’s the past, we don’t need to read it.”  
“No.” Eleven spoke calmly, “Read it. You need to know who I am.”  
“Eleven…” Mike whispered.  
She didn’t let him finish, “No Mike. You need to know this if you want to save me.”  
Mike sighed and snatched the paper from Will’s hands. Will breathed a sigh of relief, the words were becoming too heavy for him.

* * *

Mike continued;

_‘… and run away before they caught her. She doesn’t need a line of sight or any weapons._  
  
_But Scott, you know what her most significant power is? It’s not her ability to murder people with her mind. Her greatest potential is to expose the truth to those around her. In reality, it was us who had lost our humanity. She wasn’t a superior human, she was the only one left in that facility. We stole the mind of an innocent child and turned her into a freak, and sunk beneath humanity in the process._  
  
_I still remember the first time I met her, right after one of the trials. They had locked her inside a room made with iron as thick as timbers. They were trying to control the beast. They allowed me to enter the room a few hours later, and when I saw her, my heart stopped. She was cowering at one corner, eyes swollen as if she had continuously cried since the experiment and finally ran out of tears. Her face and clothes were smeared with the blood of her enemies, and probably her own. She was snarling at me like a rabid animal. Her teeth were bared, and she hissed at me if I were her prey. She looked like a freak straight from the asylum. My mind told me to run away as fast as I could. She was going to kill me._  
  
_You know what I did? I sat in that room for 6 hours until she fell asleep. Then I gently carried her back into her new room that I set up. After that, I stayed beside her until this very moment. Jane had tried to kill me multiple times in the past, she probably broke my bones at least a dozen times, she almost took out an eye, and at one beautiful evening, she stopped my heart out of sheer frustration._  
  
_But I never left her side. Through all the pain and suffering, I guarded her against her fate as long as she was inside the facility. You know why I did that? Because of her eyes Scott. Through all that rage and the flames of hatred, her soul screamed at the endless nightmares that reflected in her dark eyes. They begged me to save her and rescue her from her horrors. I realized that underneath the thorns that threatened to destroy this world, lay a beautiful flower. I saw the child hiding under that shadow as she slept peacefully in her room, crouched into a small fluffy ball._  
  
_I swore an oath that day Scott. I promised to save her at all costs. You know that I was always good with children, you have no idea. While Martin kept destroying her soul, I continued forging it back together with love and affection. It was a perpetual battle, and in which I almost won at the end. But then Martin dealt his trump card and unleashed hell on this planet._  
  
_He forced Eleven to pierce through the space-time barrier and open a gateway to some godforsaken dimension from which a terrible monster appeared. We are still not sure if that was Martin’s intention to begin with, but he was also surprised by that strange aberration. It slaughtered half of the personnel in the lab in less than an hour, but then it faced judgment. Jane was not supposed to be there when it found us, but she came running to save me and pushed the abomination back into the portal. And then she lost her soul and went berserk. I located her at the nick of time and brought her back somehow. And then I freed her from this facility and instructed her to run to you._  
  
_She won’t respond to her name; Jane. The last battle with the monsters had stolen her soul and most of her memories. But she remembers the number that was etched on her wrist the day she was doomed. Her identity is reduced to those three digits now; 011._  
_  
You'll know when you see her. Her name is Eleven, and you must protect her at all costs. Look out for the nosebleed. It’s the mark of her curse. When she engages her powers, she bleeds from her nostril, especially the left one. Scott, don’t be alarmed, she is not a monster, she is just a child. I love her as..._

* * *

Mike swallowed and stopped. He stole a glance at Eleven, her eyes were closed, and tears kept flowing from the corners. He wasn't sure about the next part. Lucas snatched the paper from him and spoke angrily, “For crying out loud.”  
  
Then he continued;  
_‘...my own daughter.’_  
  
Lucas’s voice started shaking, the tragedy was finally unearthing itself. But he pressed on;  
  
_‘And it’s time to say goodbye brother. I won’t escape the facility, the abomination has returned. I’ll place the letter in a secure place and someone will deliver it to you within a few days. I pray by the time you read this you would have already found Eleven and sheltered her from her past. Hide her as best as you can and wait for the signal. In time, someone will contact you, the last of us._  
  
_Remember when we used to roleplay The Lords of the Rings when we were kids? Remember how I always used to be the Knight and you only wanted to be the Wizard? Well, the era of Knights has come to an end, brother. Science won’t win this battle, but Magic will. The magic of love, compassion, and empathy. That’s all it will take to save my daughter from her fate._  
  
_Martin will come for her, but fear not, help is on the way. Teresa had foretold their arrival before she lost her mind, and not a single one of her prophecies had failed to come true._  
_  
And on a separate note, are you keeping your eyes on that kid as I asked you to? I didn’t tell the truth back then, but now I have nothing to fear. He’s the key, Scott. Teresa carved his name in the stars above, he’s the sheath to Martin’s sword. We don’t know what role he would play, but…’_

* * *

Lucas stopped with a hiccup. The others eyed him warily. What was so damn complicated that even he couldn’t pronounce them? Lucas kept his gaze locked at the ground in front of him. Dustin muttered angrily, “You want something to be done, you gotta do it yourself. Here, give me that.”  
Dustin snatched the paper from Lucas’s shaking hands and held it against the light. Then he cursed like a drunken sailor, “SON OF A BITCH!”  
The others sighed as Dustin and Lucas kept looking at each other with slacked jaws. Mike felt irritated and spoke angrily, “Fine. I’ll do it.”  
  
“NOO,” Dustin shouted as Mike snatched the paper from his hand. They were playing a strange game of drawing straws, and no one wanted the short straw. Fine, he would do it. He was sure that nothing in that letter could surprise...  Mike lowered his gaze on the paper and felt his blood freezing inside the veins. The next set of words pointed towards an impossibility, and it was beyond something even he was willing to put up with. But he summoned enough courage and read it with a hoarse voice;  
  
_‘...Mike Wheeler must be protected at all costs until he meets Jane 'Eleven' Ives.’_

  
Mike couldn’t think straight. He had seen many impossibilities turning into possibilities in the last year. But this hit him straight into the guts, and by the looks of things the others were in worse shape. The last part of the letter made no sense at all. It was all going fine about Eleven and her powers and her guardian but from where did Mike came into it all of a sudden? He had never seen this man named James Clarke. He grimaced and read the last part of the letter;  
  
_‘Good luck and Godspeed Scott. And remember;_  
  
_And therefore as a stranger give it welcome._  
_There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio…’_  
  
A voice boomed behind them, “Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

 

**_The Episode continues after the break with ‘Hercules: The Hero of Ages’_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter ties in with Eleven - The Beginning, my prequel series of ST. The story of Eleven's guardians will continue there.
> 
> Additional Notes:  
> Dear Readers. Armageddon will be on hiatus for the next two weeks due to resource constraints. But I will be floating a unique ST project in a day or two; one which will be exciting for both you as a reader and me as a writer. 
> 
> Armageddon will resume on first week of November and continue its weekly schedule.


	6. Act VI: Hercules

**Armageddon: Episode III - Pantheon**

**Act VI: Hercules**

_The bridge between Heaven and Earth, Hercules, was a hero who challenged and defeated the greatest foe mankind had ever faced;_

_Impossibility_

 

 _‘Magic isn’t real.’_  
_‘It is.’_  
_‘Then prove it.’_  
_‘I'm not a magician... yet.’_  
_‘You're just a…’_  
Scott Clarke grimaced as he remembered the fights he used to have with his brother about magic when they were kids. Eventually, Scott's brother won the argument when both of them ventured in the field of Science. But today it was finally confirmed that magic was real, although his brother had to pay a terrible price for surrendering to fate.

More than a decade ago, Scott’s brother James had given him the responsibility to rescue his adopted daughter, Jane Eleven Ives, from her fate after James himself had succumbed to his own. Though Scott had managed to squander the opportunity back then, he was determined to redeem himself this time. The first step of his atonement would be trying to understand what exactly they were dealing with. Though the saga of Eleven was a fascinating one, especially the way Mike and his friends described the upside down, but behind Mr. Clarke’s smiling face, an analytical brain was working non-stop to connect the dots together.

First of all, all the conjectures formed by the scientific community and science fiction writers were correct, a higher dimension did exist in parallel to their own. Second, Eleven could break through the barrier with her psychic powers. Scott had a rudimentary knowledge of Human Anatomy, but he was confident that even Nobel laureate scientists would be out of their depths if tasked with explaining how she achieved that feat. At first Scott’s rational mind had decided to tie a blindfold and ignore Eleven’s abilities as distractions, but then she had used her powers to float him to the ceiling. Since then, he had decided to analyze everything the kids told him no matter how ungodly they appeared, but instead of trying to find scientific theories in the story, he would try to find the answer to the all-encompassing question; _‘How to save Eleven from her Powers?’_

 

At the exact moment, some distance from the school, Karen Wheeler was stuck between a rock and a hard place, figuratively. She was staring at a long lost promise that had returned to remind her about the unstoppable sword of fate. A few moments later, a firm hand dropped on her shoulder. Karen gripped the hand and spoke softly, “What should we do, Ted?”  
“Get ready for a birthday party?” There was a tinge of amusement in Ted’s voice.  
Karen shook her head and answered, “Can’t leave her Ted. She can wake up at any moment, and we need to be there for her.”  
“Who said anything about leaving Teresa?” Ted gasped.  
“Ted?”  
“Get dressed and help me wrap the present for Jane. I’m sure Teresa will wake up in time to attend her daughter’s birthday party.”  
“How do you know?”  
“I don’t, I believe,” Ted squeezed his wife’s hand and spoke with a determined voice.  
In response, Karen stood up and started walking towards her room. Before entering through the door, she asked, “What are we gifting her Ted?”  
“We are gifting Jane her destiny.”  
Karen closed the door behind her without further reply.

Ted sat down beside Teresa and kept a watchful eye on her. A few minutes later, Holly walked up to her dad with an old comic book in her hands. On any other day, Ted would have called Karen to take care of their daughter. But today he picked her up and sat her down on his laps. Then he gently kissed her on her cheeks. The eye of a tremendous storm was about to drift away from the town of Hawkins, and from the lives of the Wheelers once and for all. The edge of the tornado had passed over their lives more than a decade ago when Terry christened Mike and subsequently yielded to her fate. Then Mike was born, and the eye of the storm reached the Wheelers and gave them some momentary respite. Now Teresa was back in their lives, heralding the end to an era of peace and tranquility. The other edge of the storm had finally arrived with a vengeance. Ted could feel the impending doom looming over the horizon. He wasn't sure how long he would get the chance to hold his daughter again, so he decided to take the opportunity to let her know how much he loved her, and all of them.

Holly pointed the finger at the unconscious form on the couch and spoke, “Who is she?"  
“She's your mother's best friend."  
"Best… friend?”  
Ted thought about Holly's age and decided to explain it more straightforwardly. He whispered to his daughter, “What do you like best in this world?"  
"Cookies, mint chocolate,” Holly replied instantly.  
“No Holly. That is what you want right now. Not always. Because you said it without thinking. Now think.”  
Holly concentrated for a minute, then her eyes lit up. She swung her hand which was grasping the old comic book and spoke excitedly, “This book."  
Ted was mildly amused. He never figured that Holly would turn out to be a fan of comics like Mike was. During one of Ted's faraway business trips, he had picked the book up from a street vendor after taking a fleeting look at the title. He figured that Mike would love it, after all, which boy wouldn't like the tales of knights and demons. But he never thought that young girls could also become ardent followers of ancient stories based on oaths and chivalry. Ted decided to skip the bigger picture for now and muttered, “Then when you have a best friend, you would give the book to him, or to her and you won't ask for it unless the person gives it back to you. Best friends share everything between themselves, no matter how precious they are.”  
Holly nodded eagerly and climbed down from her father's lap. Then she cocked her head and asked, “Can she be my best friend?”  
Ted smiled as he recollected a scene from the bygone era. He remembered a room in which a young girl, his daughter Nancy, kept playing with a vibrant young woman who showed an uncanny ability to befriend children. It was unfortunate that Holly would not get the chance to see that woman in her prime. Ted was hopeful, but he wasn't delusional. He spoke nonetheless, “Then maybe you can go to her and give her that book?"  
Holly took a few small steps and reached the couch, then she laid the book gently on Teresa's chest and a second later, started tittering. Behind her, Ted jumped up from the chair and started shouting, “Karen? KAREN? COME OUT RIGHT NOW."

 

“Martin Brenner won’t stop until HE GETS ELEVEN,” Mike raised his voice as he concluded the story. Scott had already sat down and was lost in thoughts. He understood why Martin might want his subject back, but he had no clue why he would want to murder Mike in the first place. And there was this conundrum about how Martin tried forging Eleven into a supernatural assassin. But how did that man ensure that Eleven wouldn't turn on her masters? Then Scott remembered something, _‘...research into the duality of human mind…’_

He jumped up from the chair and startled the kids. Then he spoke with a concerned voice, “What was the thing you told me about the Matrix?”  
Mike narrated his visions about the object called Control Matrix one more time, and Scott vaguely remembered a research paper he had read almost seven years ago.  
He spoke with a stern voice, “Kids. You need to go home right now.”  
“What?” Dustin was surprised.  
“I need to check on something. If I think this Control Matrix is what it sounds like, then we need to secure Jane right now.”  
Mike strained his voice as he screamed the words, “WHAT IS IT? CAN IT HARM HER? WHY WON’T YOU TELL US?”  
“If it’s what I think it is then our chances of protecting Jane just became marginally higher than Dustin’s chance of entering the library again. Let me check up some old research work, then I’ll visit you guys tonight,” the finality was evident in Mr. Clarke’s voice.  
He turned around, picked up the phone and a dialed a number that he should have called in the morning. After a complete set of rings went unanswered, he slammed the phone and breathed through his teeth.  
"Can't find that man when you need him the most," he soliloquized and sighed.  
Dustin spoke up, "Who are you looking for?"  
"Hopper. I want to talk to Hopper. You kids know where he's right now?"  
Will replied, "No. But he'll come to our house this evening. You can catch him there."

 

A few hours later, at the edge of the town, in a small house, Joyce Byers carefully laid the last layer of icing on a beautiful but strange cake adorned with elegant patterns. She hummed a tune as she carefully appraised the design and smiled satisfactorily at her handiwork. Then she stood up and made her way to the living room. As soon as she stepped in front of the table, the doorbell rang loudly. Joyce made her way to the door and opened it an inch and peeked through the slit. Then she furrowed her eyebrows as she closed the door, opened the chain latch and held the door wide open. A second later, Jonathan and Nancy walked through the door with a gaunt look on their faces.  
Joyce noticed their appearance and spoke with alarm, “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing mom, nothing,” Jonathan gave a fake smile.  
“But…”  
Nancy interjected, “We’re just tired from the trip, that’s all.”  
Joyce watched her son and his girlfriend making their way towards their room. She picked up a faint smell of smoke when they walked past her but decided to leave them for now. Today was her daughter’s birthday, and she needed to make sure everything was perfect. She would deal with Jonathan later.

Then one by one the guests started coming in. Steve was next, he walked in with a somewhat bewildered look on his face. A few minutes later, Mr. Murray Bauman, the reporter, stepped in with an expression which was halfway between drowsy and furious. Joyce had no intention of allowing that man inside, but Jonathan and Nancy both vouched for him. Then came Mr. Clarke with an excited but somewhat puzzled smile on his face. He gave some excuse about doing research and asked about Hopper. Joyce couldn't remember inviting him to the party, but she admired the man enough to let him in with a polite smile.

 _‘What’s with the odd stares? Have they all gone crazy or is it just me?’_ Joyce was wondering when the doorbell rang again. She walked to the door and held it open as Hopper walked in with a tired gait. Joyce closed the door behind him, and as soon as he reached the center of the room, she grabbed his hand tightly.  
Then she hissed through her teeth, “My son and his girlfriend, then Steve, then that mangy reporter and now you, all walk into my house on the eve of Eleven’s birthday with strange looks on your faces. I want to know what’s going on.”  
Hopper shrugged and replied quietly, “It’s nothing. They must be tired.”  
“All of them? Steve too? What was he doing that made him tired?”  
“Listen, Joyce, I’m sorry. It’s just that we have been under constant stress from all the events happening in Hawkins recently. Just a few hours ago I received a report that a farm was attacked by some unknown animal last night that managed to slaughter an entire herd of cows. And no one heard a thing.”  
“What? That thing we saw last night?” The strain was evident in Joyce’s shaking voice.  
“Not sure. Something is happening Joyce. This might be the last night we get to enjoy before hell breaks loose again. Let’s celebrate as best as we can. I promise you that I’ll tell you everything after the party tonight.” Hopper pleaded. Joyce decided to let go and put her faith on Hopper for now and went back to answer the door.

 

A mile from Joyce's house, four cycles raced through the sleeping suburbs at phenomenal speed. Though if an observer was to notice, he would be shocked not at the speed but rather at the fact that no one was paddling the contraptions. Mike and his band were riding the cycles though Eleven was driving them with her powers. Max had ditched her broken skateboard in school and was now comfortably sitting behind Lucas with her arms secured around his waist. Beside her, on a cycle cruising smoothly like the rest, Eleven was similarly sitting behind Mike, but she was clutching on to Mike rather loosely. Today was a mixed day, as Hopper would like to call it. In one hand, Eleven was happy that James’ brother, Mr. Clarke now knew the truth and didn't blame her for his brother's death.

On the other hand, she was apprehensive about Mike and his friends getting to know about her past, a story that took away Hopper's sleep for three days. Eleven was worried that Mike might be afraid of her powers now. She had seen a TV show where a man had spoken to a woman, _‘Fear destroys the foundation of love, Cathy. I'm sorry, but I need to go away.’_  
Suddenly Mike pressed the brake of the bike, and it stopped on its tracks as Eleven was lurched forward on to Mike's back. The other bikes stopped a few meters away, and they all looked back at the distressed duo with a barrage of questions in their eyes.

Mike looked back at Eleven and asked, “What's wrong?"  
“I… nothing. It's nothing."  
“I remember how you used to hold me when we were riding the bike. Now you're staying back. Something's wrong.”  
Eleven didn't know what to say. Actually, she wasn't sure about what to say. But Mike relieved her from her predicament with a simple statement, “Stop being so afraid. We know more about your past, but it doesn't change who you are or how we feel about you, Eleven.”  
Then without waiting for a reply, Mike started paddling again and joined his friends.  
_‘They are not afraid. It's me who's afraid. But I don't need to be afraid of Mike. He took me to the Snowball,’_ Eleven flashed a wide grin and clutched onto Mike as she used to and laid her head on his shoulder. Then she used her powers to boost the bikes again. Max noticed the smile on Mike's face and winked at Eleven who returned a puzzled but relieved glance. But none of them saw the frown on Will's face who was riding behind the group. Over the last few days, he had noticed that Mike could somehow sense Eleven's emotions, and often without even looking at her face. Something unfamiliar was happening between the two, and Will wasn't sure if it was for the best.

The cycles neared a curb, and Eleven reduced the speed slowly until the bikes banked through the corner, startling a stray cat that was about to cross the road. About a minute later the band reached the Byers residence, and Eleven released her power as the bikes slowly stopped at the entrance.  
“We're here. Anyone knows why Mrs. Byers called us?” Mike winked at his friends while Eleven was looking away.  
All of them knew but chose to hide their answer in the veil of obfuscation. Mike moved to the door and knocked twice. It opened a few seconds later, and they walked into the house slowly. The window drapes were drawn, masking the twilight that was desperately trying to fight the darkness inside the room. Dustin closed the door behind him, and the room was plunged into darkness.

 

A moment later the light suddenly came on and blinded them as a multitude of voices rang in the air, “Happy Birthday Eleven!"  
Eleven was visibly taken aback. First of all, she thought that her birthday celebration had ended last night when she left Mike inside his room. Then throughout the day, there was no mention of her birthday and to be honest, she was somewhat preoccupied with her past which was trespassing into her present.

“I…” Eleven was at a loss of words. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The drawing room of Will's house was decorated with balloons and glittery tapes. Towards the right, the wall was alight with a string of lights that spelled a word. Will's mother had repainted the wall a few weeks back. But now six letters were etched on them using small lightbulbs; it was her name. She turned her head towards the right and laid her eyes upon a bunch of boxes wrapped with colorful gift papers.  
_‘For me?’_ Eleven thought and nearly dismissed the idea until she saw her name sketched on one of them. Then she turned to the front and gasped at the people standing in front of her.

They were there, all the people Eleven had known and loved, the people who stood by her through all the pain and suffering and the people who cherished her without prejudice. Some of them adored her like a daughter, some of them loved her like a sister, some of them loved her like a friend and one of them loved her as a part of his soul. At the end of the day, they were everything she had. She desperately tried to fight back the tears that threatened to blur her vision.

Joyce came forward and hugged Eleven tightly. Then she spoke quietly, “Many many happy returns of the day” then she paused and added, “...my daughter.”  
Eleven was stunned by all the hubbub around her. She mumbled, “Return? Happy? Many?”  
A face covered with a grungy beard but decorated with a bright smile appeared on her vision. Hopper replied, “May you get to see a hundred happy birthdays Eleven!”  
Then he embraced Joyce and Eleven together, the family that he loved more than anything in the world. Eleven smiled back as Joyce released her. But then she turned around and got tackled by a bunch of bodies.  
They shouted, “Three cheers for our mage. Hip hip..."  
Before the chorus died down, Eleven felt a soft touch of lips on her cheek. A voice whispered, “You'll always save me..."  
“...so you can save me," Eleven concluded, she knew the words in her heart now.  
“Happy Birthday," the voices waned as they parted. Eleven smiled at everyone. Today was her birthday, and everyone who treasured her had arrived just like Hopper claimed they would. She was so happy that she wanted to float everyone to the ceiling or flare her powers to make the lights flicker. Love was indeed beautiful. She had never received so much affection throughout her miserable existence, and she made a promise to herself to never think about those days again.  
  
They took Eleven to the center of the room, Mike kept his hands clasped around her eyes so she couldn't see what was in front of her. But she didn't complain, she actually enjoyed Mike's hands around her eyes. It was a sense of comfort that she had never felt before. Right then, Eleven was literally blind because she couldn't see anything. But at the same moment, she was also confident that Mike was the one seeing for her and that meant she had better vision than her own. After about ten steps, Mike took his hands off, and Eleven gasped at the sight of the table in front of her. There was a beautiful cake in front of her, shaped like two vertical bars adorned with flowery patterns. They resembled a number with two identical digits. On top of each bar, there was another pair of vertical bars representing another number with two non-identical digits. Her new age, she realized and beamed at everyone. This was something she wished for but never expected.

Eleven bent over the candles and blew hard on them. They winked out as everyone kept singing the birthday song as loud as they could. Eleven closed her eyes and remembered a dark room where a lone child was shouting and crying at the darkness around her. Then she opened her eyes and saw the cheerful faces around her yelling at the top of their lungs. A smile spread across her face as she realized that she was born again, on her birthday. Her destiny has finally defeated her fate. Then something odd happened, the candles came back to life with a spark. Through Eleven was shocked but then she remembered a TV show she had watched some time ago.  
“Magic candles," she yelled and bent over to blow them out once again. But she didn't see the sequences of expressions that played across her companions’ faces. One by one they realized a few pointers. First of all, they remembered that they didn't get magic candles. So, the chances of the candles coming back to life due to a chemical reaction were practically impossible. That left them with the second option, which was that Eleven had somehow brought them back to life with her powers. But, she was just as surprised as they were about the strange phenomenon. Together, the two facts pointed towards something external, _‘HOLY FUCK!’_

Before Hopper could jump towards the couch which held his gun, there was a loud knock on the door. In a moment everyone was on alert, but Eleven was beyond the state of shock. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth gaped as if she couldn't believe her senses. Joyce reached the door and nodded at Hopper who was standing behind her with an evil looking shotgun aimed straight at the opening of the door. Mike wrapped his arm around Eleven and held her tightly. With Hopper's assurance, Joyce opened the door and moved back as he immediately lifted his gun. But then he stepped back as if he was staring at a ghost.

Karen Wheeler walked in with a determined face. But Hopper was looking behind her with bewildered eyes.  
Karen shouted, “Where's Jane? Where's my Jane?"  
Her statement didn't have the desired effect because no one answered her question. But it did have another impact. The jaws of the people assembled in the room decided to leave their faces. But on top of that Mike's face resembled a criminal's who had just been sentenced to death. Hopper was still trying to figure out the scene behind the door while Karen located Eleven and dashed towards her. She reached her after a few steps and hugged her tightly. Then she started sobbing, “Jane. You are alive. A...A... And you came back to me.”  
Mike was about to win the Nobel prize in mathematics. Through a series of sequential calculations performed at the speed of light, he came to the conclusion that Eleven was his long lost sister. And he was on the verge of losing his shit forever. Before he could cry out in anguish, Hopper stepped back, and Dr. Owens barged in. He was followed by a wheelchair carrying a strange looking woman being pushed by his father. The information didn't stay for long in Mike’s mind as it devoted the maximum amount of resources to calculate alternatives where Eleven wasn't a Wheeler.

Eleven wasn't aware of this activity because she was lost inside the arms of Mike's mother. It was a strange sensation as if she just returned home after a long and impossible journey, where a cool shade welcomed her to respite, once and for all. She felt her eyes filling up with tear as she buried her face in Mike's mother's shoulder and breathed deeply, perhaps to smell her new home, but it felt like a very old one.

It felt like a big hulking structure squatting under a gigantic tree providing shade to the earth around it. This was home, at long last, she knew why she felt the unusual urge to return to Mike's basement. She wondered, _‘It was here, it was always here, and inside Mike's home all along. But why?’_  
But before she could get her answer, Karen gently removed Eleven from her shoulder and whispered, “Happy birthday darling. I have a surprise for you."  
Then she pulled back as Ted pushed Terry in front of her daughter.  
“Momma!” with a shout Eleven crashed into the lap of her mother as her instincts took over her senses. Teresa Ives was Eleven's first gift tonight, and she couldn't have been happier. Though Hopper had promised to take Eleven back to the city this week but after seeing her mother in front of her eyes, Eleven realized that her birthday party would have been incomplete without that special presence. She kissed the immobile but awake woman on the cheek and stood up. Then she turned to Mike and spoke excitedly, “Mike. This is my momma."

No boy in the history of humanity was as relieved as of how Mike felt at that moment. He realized that Eleven was not his sister and he could finally breathe. He walked forward with a huge grin plastered on his face and reached the woman sitting on the wheelchair. But then Mike stopped there for a second and looked at his mother. He was curious about how his parents ended up bringing Eleven's mother to her birthday party. Before he could ask the question, Ted replied, “She's an old friend, son. We've known her even before you were born and she had known you even before we did.”

Great, Eleven wasn't a Wheeler, but perhaps Mike wasn't either. Maybe he was actually Eleven's brother who was separated at birth from his sister and then adopted by the Wheelers. And this brought Mike back to square one. He fucking hated surprises.

 

**_The Episode continues after the break with ‘Aphrodite: The Goddess of Love’_ **

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people.  
> So, finally after a long break, I am back and have streamlined the projects. There are regular workflows to spew out a update or two every week and new projects to fill some of the gaps as well as finally venture into full fledged AU. The projects that are lined up are given below:
> 
> 1\. Fic 1 (untitled) - Eleven and Hopper's journey through their past as they struggle to survive 353 days of solitude - Draft completed.  
> 2\. What If Chapter 2 - Eleven returns to Mike not on the 353rd day but later on a very special day ;) - Writing  
> 3\. Unvanquished - A gritty neo noir fic set into the future where the party had outgrown their childhood, and each other - Concept finalized, pilot ready.  
> 4\. Fic 4 (Crimson Light - Working Title) - A decade after the desolation, eleven arcs leave planet Earth to find a new home but on the final ship, a young stowaway and her companion are about to discover the darkness hiding in the catacombs of the vast spaceship carrying humanity to the stars - Pilot ready.  
> 5\. Eleven - Biography - Project sent to hiatus for now. I'll restart if I get enough interest from readers in the future.
> 
> PS: After the last 3 months AWOL fiasco, I've decided to engage my readers continuously so they are always in touch with what's happening to both my writing as well as my ST extended universe. Since this platform doesn't provide such options, I have opened an IG profile.
> 
> @inktopia.resurrect
> 
> I'll provide continuous fic updates, pilots, sneak peeks, tiny tales, quotes, poetry, concepts, timelines, reviews and recommendations of ST fics from other authors, and finally, concept video edits. You can also reach out to me via DM, channels are always open. And I take my readers very seriously, so you are more than welcome to nag me about updates and dates (no spoilers though).
> 
> Please let me know what you think about this chapter in the comments below. I feel a bit rusty after the long break.


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